It’s the baritone fix of a man and two pairs of brothers that moves our souls and possibly our minds with High Violet. We have The National to thank for that… once again. From the stirring crescendo of Terrible Love, you can’t help but be drawn into the trance of what feels like a hauntingly personal record. For the followers of this Cincinnati native band, the album does not disappoint, following the fluid motion of previous output, Boxer. Frontman Matt Berninger’s lyrics pendulate between Sorrow and fear with characteristic minimalist instrument build-ups and ingenious thoughts; “I don’t have the drugs to sort it out”. None of the tracks pick up to a pace that spin you out of consciousness, possibly intentionally to allow you to feel each syllable and drop of sweat put into it. Bloodbuzz Ohio is a shoo-in and the float of Runaway canters to a flood of strings, horns and undone velvet vocals. And the words ring true for everyone in Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks, “All the very best of us, String ourselves up for love”. The honesty of the album is what shines through in High Violet, the fifth studio effort by The National. I was reminded that if we lived in a world devoid of trials, tears and failures, we wouldn’t appreciate the beauty of love and life, what the big world can offer us, and what we can give of ourselves to our own small world.
Key Tracks: Bloodbuzz Ohio, Runaway, Terrible Love, Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks
Moods: Literate, Melancholy, Reflective, Dramatic, Weary, Somber
Buy: High Violet
