If you have heard the National, most likely you have listened to High Violet, certainly Boxer, probably Alligator. Maybe you’ve even dug deep into their catalogue for the S/T or the wonderfully titled Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. If so, then you’ve probably at least heard mention of this lengthy EP, and it wouldn’t be a bad time to take another listen. While Boxer and Alligator are two of my favorites, High Violet didn’t do much for me. The lyrics, always a strength for Matt Berninger, wallowed in repetitiveness, and the drumming that seemed so invigorating gets stale. I think my biggest problem, though, rests in the band’s capacity to completely change its style live.
I have seen them 3 times and each show, while astounding experiences, garner a déjà vu feeling. I feel of their live shows as Bill Watterson does of Garfield: It’s consistent. I’m very entertained, I’m always taken back by the sheer passion of the band, but the complete routine developed from their shows just leave me wanting more. If it’s soft on the album, it’s getting blown UP live, and if it’s loud on the album, then it’s going to get even more intense. I think the new album delivered too many “made for the stage” songs. The good songs all hold some restraint, and live they come out strong. The mediocre ones do not do so well regardless, like “Vanderlyle”. And a song like “Terrible Love,” a shell of itself compared to the live version, explodes like no other National song since “Mr. November” (a reason for its displacement at the end of the show). Which is all fine, and even admirable that each show can produce so consistently. But the song I remember the most out of any set I’ve seen is the end of their regular set at P4k 2009, “About Today” from Cherry Tree EP.
A slow crooner, discussing a horrible day exactly how any humans would: with deep emotional hurt, a gaping hole where reason has failed, and an utter inability to possible comprehend what just happened, and what to do next. This is a theme repeated in many National songs (“Baby, We’ll Be Fine,” “Apartment Story”), but never has it been done in such gruesomely realistic fashion. And during this song the band did not blow up, didn’t explode into a cacophony of dueling guitars, rhythm march drumming and Matt prowling around the stage in utter agony, clutching the microphone like the last rung of an unsupported ladder, screaming nothings to join his band mates sounds. Instead, Matt remained, eyes closed as always (due to his intense stage fright), at the mic stand, not moving at all except for the barely perceptible swaying that accompanied particularly gut-wrenching lines. He felt this song, these lyrics, this has happened to him. It was as emotional a performance as I have ever seen, and the crowd, normally going bonkers, remained dead silent. As the last notes peeled away into the Chicago night, Matt opened his eyes the rest of the band looked up and remained in a daze for a few seconds, before slowly slouching off the stage.
Tracks like "Wasp Nest" and "Cherry Tree" affirm the idea that this was a dark time in their lives, as each of the tracks on here feels restrained, but no less powerful. "Wasp Nest" analogizes the allure of an appealing woman to the perils of messing with a wasp nest. Berninger sounds wary and resigned, knowing the risks but equally aware that he is helpless. Final track “A Reasonable Man” finds a person setting an adequate goal, to just be a reasonable man, hoping against hope that will suffice. It is a dire story, almost jauntily written however, and one that ends in a wail of violins and soft drumming, leaving behind goose bumps and a foreshadowing of the albums to come.
