The National - High Violet

Taylor's Choice:

The National - High Violet

Hipster Review:

Ever since I discovered their album Boxer back in 2008, The National have been one of my favorite bands. The cryptic lyrics and Post-punk/Baroque pop hybrid was unlike anything I'd ever heard at the time, and even now, after the many bands I've discovered since, it's hard to find a group as unique and distinct as them. And since then I have listened to the album countless times; even to this day it remains a gorgeous monument of indie rock at it's most genuine and gripping. So naturally when i heard that The National would be releasing a new album this year, I got pretty freaking excited. I bought a copy of the record on vinyl three days before it's official release, and excitedly I placed the LP on my record player and sat back, listening with great anticipation...
While only time will tell whether or not it's better than Boxer, High Violet is undeniably brilliant and stunning in it's execution. While a few of the songs (particularly the moody "Anyone's Ghost") show the band moving toward a more pop focus, none of these songs drift too far away from the The National's perfected sound; everything here is familiar and comforting, and I'd be hard-pressed to find a fan of the group finding fault with this record. It's flawlessly simple in it's scope; instead of making a record that completely flipped the band around, they instead lightly tweaked what needed tightening, not moving anything around too much; it's a safe approach, and in any other case it would bother me, but with High Violet the band finds a way to make the familiar feel fresh. It's just the album they should have made, and if anything has changed the songs now carry more deep emotional undercurrents. The lyrics are less cryptic and orient around various characters, each seemingly troubled, akward reflections of singer Matt Berninger's subconscious. All around, High Violet is a record that is practically perfect in every way, a fresh tweaking of an already uniquely established band.

Hipster Rating:

8.9

Friend Review:

Sorry for the delay guys.

My sophomore English teacher once told the class, “If you don’t have a love for a renowned piece of literature , there is a problem with you, not the literature.” I believe at the time he was talking about “Othello”. But anyways, this is how I feel about High Violet, that is, there is more flawed with my taste than the actual album. The only other piece I’ve heard by The National is Boxer, and there is so much I loved about Boxer than I can’t find on High Violet, notably the frantic drumming as seen in “Brainy”. So, it is typical of me to prefer music that is usually poppier and faster than average. But, just because I have preferences doesn’t mean something’s not good. I hope this makes sense to anyone reading because I’m starting to confuse myself. Anyways, there is plenty of content in High Violet that everyone can appreciate. Matt Berninger has one of the greatest voices out there right now in my opinion, and lyrically is a genius. To, High Violet is an album that has a place and a time. For example, I listened to it while working on my homework and thought it was just about perfect. It sets that kind of mood if you know what I mean. However, I don’t think I would appreciate nearly as much if I listened to it just while driving around town.
This might be one of the most contradictory and confusing reviews I’ve ever written so I’m just gonna end it with this. It’s not one my favorites, but you might love it!

Friend Rating:

6.9

Coming up on Wednesday, Say It by Born Ruffians!