Weekly Release Spotlight: The National
Posted on 5/08/2010
[4AD]
Despite ubiquitous references to losing love’s battles and the slow slip into anonymity that accompanies single life in an urban setting, High Violet hosts an eleven-song loose narrative of coming to terms with life in the moment that turns an expectant eye towards the future. While commenting on the fury of constant change, the band’s fifth full-length release poses to generate its own buzz amongst listeners.
The relationships Matt Berninger sings of walks the tightrope border between comfortably consuming and overwhelming, and his lyrics offer a narration of the group’s tight instrumental arrangements. With driving yet restrained guitar strumming and hi-hat chatter, “Sorrow” features the withdrawn hook, “Don’t leave my half of a heart alone/On the water/Cover me in rag and bone sympathy/Cuz I don’t want to get over you.” In “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” Berninger describes a tumultuous journey to the Midwest and its captivating but fleeting gratification over a tumbling cycle of rhythms. The following tracks continue the quest for longer lasting satisfaction. “Lemon World” offers pulsating drums and the self-searching lyrics, “I’ll try to find something on this thing that means nothing,” and the opening lines of “Runaway” describe Berninger’s soft resolution to move past destitution: “There’s no saving anything...No I won’t be no runaway/What makes you think/I enjoy being left to the flood?” In the second-to-last tune “England,” triumphant horn fanfares announce a returning preparedness for the excited uncertainty of love.
After a presumably bootlegged “low quality” leak of High Violet hit the web, band representatives promptly made the album available for free streaming through The New York Times and National Public Radio websites, paralleling the album’s theme of the inevitability of succumbing to a swarm’s demands. Hoping that listeners will “take the time to hear the album at its intended level of quality,” The National attempted to turn the unexpected early release into a tool for increasing listener interest in their craftsmanship. Whether record sales surge or suffer, the buzz already surrounding High Violet will precede the group in endeavors to come.
Written by Alex Hamberger, Radio K volunteer
Stream: The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio