The National’s most recent album “High Violet” enjoyed huge
levels of success, making its way onto various ‘Album of the Year’ lists in
2010. Since that time the band have gone from strength to strength, making
their presence felt on various soundtracks with quality offerings such as ‘Think
You Can Wait’ (Win Win) and ‘About Today’ (Warrior), as well as my personal
favourite, a gloriously dark and ominous rendition of ‘The Rains Of Castamere’
(Season 2 of Game of Thrones). Now the band is preparing for the release of
their sixth studio album “Trouble Will Find Me” which is due out in a couple of
week’s time.
The first single ‘Demons’ continues the solid trend of output
which has come from the band since “High Violet”. The track starts immediately,
with a pulsing drum beat setting the rhythm, while the guitars shimmer and
synthesisers hover above. Matt Berninger’s characteristically deep voice comes
in, sounding even deeper than usual, and carries the song. The lyrics are some
of the finest I’ve heard from the band, an outpouring of honest thoughts almost
stream-of-consciousness in style. Certain lyrics grab the listener’s attention
the first time out, for me it was the line “I am secretly in love with everyone
that I grew up with”. Then the chorus kicks in, and there is a great punch to
the way the word “down” is sung in the repeated line “I stay down with my
demons” which is very satisfying.
There is something very infectious about The National which
I’m drawn to. They are not a band I’d be able to easily recommend to someone,
and I don’t know if I’d be in a hurry to see one of their live shows, but their
music has an undeniable quality to it that keeps me listening and sometimes it
fits my mood perfectly. I look forward to listening to ‘Demons’ with headphones
on – once I’ve got myself a copy of the upcoming album – so that I can hear all
of the lyrics much more clearly. I am also eager to hear what else the upcoming
album has to offer.
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