Trouble Will Find Me (Album) - The National

In 2009 The National released what was arguably their magnum-opus, in the form of “High Violet”. Tracks like ‘Terrible Love’, ‘Conversation 16’, lead single ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’, the stunning ‘England’, the wonderfully understated ‘Runaway’ and the triumphant album closer ‘Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks’ all amalgamated to form an album that showcased the band in all their glory, highlighting the qualities that each band-member brings to the table, in particular Matt Berninger’s deep baritone voice and enigmatic (occasionally bizarre) lyrics. “Trouble Will Find Me” has the unenviable task of being the follow up to (arguably) the bands greatest album. 

‘I Should Live In Salt’ begins with a simple guitar riff, although there is an extra beat at the end of the established rhythm which slightly throws the listener off. The lyrics concern a complex relationship, one that is replete with successive petty arguments, established by the repeated lyric “you should know me better than that” which falls in between each line in the verses. As the song builds, the instrumentation swirls and ascends beneath the vocals, until it gradually fades out, returning once again to the solitary guitar. As far as opening tracks go, it is very much a grower, not exactly accessible straight away, but then again such a statement could be used to describe The National in general. 

‘Demons’ is one of the album’s standout moments, lyrically centred on the singer’s own personal failings, driven along by a pulsating beat, punctuated with scratching guitars and deep mournful piano notes. The pace quickens on ‘Don’t Swallow The Cap’, although I feel the band start to lean a bit too heavily on the Joy Division influence here. Things then slow down again on the mournful ‘Fireproof’, a song that concerns – I assume – the same Jennifer (or Jenny) later sung about on ‘This Is The Last Time’.

‘Sea Of Love’ kicks off with a commanding guitar riff, which continues to reverberate throughout. Bryan Devendorf’s drumming is always a key component to the livelier and faster paced tracks, and that is certainly the case here. ‘Heavenfaced’ slows things down once again, and puts the vocals front and centre, which works really nicely for most of the track. Towards the end though, the instrumentation increases, and Berninger’s vocals become more indecipherable. 

‘Graceless’ is another standout track from this album, rocketing along at a frantic pace, much like ‘Bloodbuzz Ohio’. It builds up really nicely, maintaining the energy and pace as layers upon layers are added. The established pattern of slowing things down after a faster track occurs once again: ‘Slipped’ is a beautifully dark track, which confesses personal failings within relationships – in this case an inability to truly open up to someone. Reflecting on personal growth from former shortcomings ‘I Need My Girl’ finds its protagonist somehow inexplicably still feeling “smaller and smaller”. 

The track then blends seamlessly into the lengthy ‘Humiliation’ before the album closes out with a couple more stand-outs. ‘Pink Rabbits’ is a piano-led end-of-the-night-as-the-party-winds-down dance, which drunkenly sways from side to side, perhaps my favourite track from the album (at least at the time of writing this). Then the album closes out on ‘Hard To Find’, and although it lacks the grandeur of ‘Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks’ it presents a much more fragile and understated way to bring things to a close.

“Trouble Will Find Me” is a solid album from The National, which I can’t help but compare to its (in my opinion superior) predecessor. While I may be chastised for making use of the term ‘grower’ which many others have used to describe the band’s works in the past, it is a term that fittingly describes their sound. Maybe three years from now, when the next album is due for release I’ll be feeling a similar sensation, comparing it to the majesty of “Trouble Will Find Me”. Time will tell, I suppose.