What does it sound like?:
Hang on, let me set the scene…
Like many here, I am sort of keen on the National, if with a creeping sense of their gradually creeping up their own orifices, the self importance replacing the simplistic grandeur of their earlier albums. (File under Radiohead, sort of.) So I was keen to see that Berninger, their lugubrious wine-swigging front man, the patron saint of morose middle aged males, had put out a solo release, the band apparently on hold for a while. And it’s a cracker. If your bag is immolation in a muddy puddle of self pity, songs of disappointment and self-doubt. If you love Tindersticks, hell, you’re going to love this.
Produced by Booker T Jones, the sound is sumptuous, all muted brass, swathes of organ, with instrumental cameos, seamlessly blended, from Mickey Rapahael, Andrew Bird and Gail Ann Dorsey, amongst others.
Starting with the somewhat throwaway ‘My Eyes are T-Shirts’, this levers you in without any great threat, with 2nd track, “Distant Axis”, beginning to give a clue of where this journey is going. Track 3, the ‘single’, “One More Second” effortlessly sums up the direction, the vainglory of expectation. And so it continues, Dorsey adding a duet vocal to “Silver Springs”, which somehow lightens the mood a little. From then it is all downhill, in a good way. In a great way. Further highlights (lowlights?) include “Take Me Out of Town” and “Collar of Your Shirt”. And if that isn’t cheerful enough, “All For Nothing”swings by with a refrain of just those words, followed by the clincher, “again”…. Closer, the title song, elegantly seals the the whole, an enjoyable wallow in weltschmerz.
What does it all *mean*?
I like a bit of miz, me, a lament or a dirge always giving me cheer over a pointless paradiddle of pop jollies.
Goes well with…
Lights off, wife or loved one in bed upstairs and the tail end of a chewy shiraz, 14% or more. But count your blessings beforehand.
Release Date:
Yesterday.
Might suit people who like…
Gloomy baritones.
Gave this a listen yesterday and after a couple of plays [along with several already for the three ‘singles’ over the last few weeks] it’s starting to sink in nicely. As you say, it sounds great. I listened on headphones and it’s like my ears were being caressed. This is The National with the edges removed, but in a good way, with the edges replaced by perfect instrumental flourishes, put in just the right place by a master craftsman. Booker T has done a wonderful job with the production of this record [his playing on One More Second is a thing of beauty and each time I hear it I have to smile] and it feels like an album, a proper record. The words may tread a familiar path to anyone who knows the National, but musically this is a different beast and the music suits the songs perfectly.
Still feeling my way into this one, but I will say my favourite track is just about the only one Retro didn’t mention in the review! Loved So Little was the standout on my first and second listens
I was a huge fan of The National from Alligator on, but they lost me a bit over the last couple of albums. Whether this is just typical “preferred the earlier stuff” snobbery or not I’ll let you decide. However, I really like this on first few listens. A lovely, warm sound and more actual tunes than his parent band have come up with in a while.
I really like this album, I’m another one who wasn’t keen on the last couple of National albums.
However… slip on shoes with no socks. Matt no….
This is very good, I agree that Loved So Little is a standout although there is nothing to dislike anywhere.