The Swamp

Posted: **Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:55 pm**

(“at once” is better, right?)

Posted: **Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:03 pm**

rass wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:55 pm (“at once” is better, right?)

Makes more sense.

Posted: **Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:09 pm**

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:20 pm First song that pops to mind is Bloodbuzz, but I need to think on it.

Without going back and looking at your prior posts, I think the most The National song may be Apartment Story, knowing your preference for earlier stuff, and that it's not as RAWK as Mistaken for Strangers.

And, you'd probably have said newbie to the band watch the video. I would.

Posted: **Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:14 pm**

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:03 pm
rass wrote: ↑Sat Apr 04, 2020 8:55 pm (“at once” is better, right?)
Makes more sense.

Oh man thanks I’ll take that

Posted: **Sat Apr 04, 2020 9:42 pm**

It’s absolutely Bloodbuzz. I’m not sure a song, post-popularity, has ever better encompassed the whole than thus does.

It’s not my favorite song, but it’s my perfect song.

Posted: **Sat Apr 04, 2020 10:11 pm**

Might need to sit down and take notes, but I think less of their songs sound like Blood Buzz than they do something much more low key like about today. And both of those capture essential The Nationalness.

Also, Blood Buzz is on my running playlist and I never ask myself questions about that.

Posted: **Sun Apr 05, 2020 9:58 am**

Ok in the bright morning light of sobriety I’m rereading this without being excitedly distracted by my own random and recent thoughts.

I think Mistaken For Strangers definitely could have been a correct answer at some point. Still a good introduction and litmus test for compatibility with the middle catalogue of the band. Not sure if it represents where they’ve been heading for the past 2 or 3 albums, thematically or sonically. That song is old!

Posted: **Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:07 am**

So my thinking was more “if you take 20 songs by them, which one could center and have the other 19 branch off”. That’s where I see bloodbuzz as the most them song.

Posted: **Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:28 am**

Definitely more fun if we all just make up our own criteria.

Posted: **Sun Apr 05, 2020 10:37 am**

While drinking.

Song draft?

Posted: **Mon Apr 06, 2020 9:36 am**

Only if Jerloma gets to go first.

(but yes)

Also:

Posted: **Mon Apr 06, 2020 11:14 am**

Apparently last week they reran the BAM concert from the High Violet tour.

[+] spoiler: It's a fucking banger of a concert. Very well shot, great audio.

It's still up on YouTube (I think it always has been). I remember watching that live from the beach.

Posted: **Mon Apr 06, 2020 11:28 am**

They edited out the part where after Bloodbuzz, Matt calls the guy watching at home on Youtube a loser, and Aaron quickly corrects him. Kinda crazy how that dynamic has changed, and the rest of the band certainly expects Matt to drunkenly riff, and sometimes lightly offend.

Posted: **Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:34 pm**

The "debonair" line, and Matt's response at 33:48, cracks me up every time.

Posted: **Mon Apr 06, 2020 1:35 pm**

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Mon Apr 06, 2020 11:28 am They edited out the part where after Bloodbuzz, Matt calls the guy watching at home on Youtube a loser, and Aaron quickly corrects him. Kinda crazy how that dynamic has changed, and the rest of the band certainly expects Matt to drunkenly riff, and sometimes lightly offend.

Gah! I was wrong. That moment comes at around 35:00, in the lead up to England.

Posted: **Fri May 08, 2020 12:19 pm**

Last week's video is the show they did at the Basilica Hudson, near Aaron's house, and the studio they did most of the recent two albums at.

I feel like I posted it somewhere here before, but I really love "I'll Still Destroy You".

Posted: **Fri May 08, 2020 12:19 pm**

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2018 4:25 pm I'll Still Destroy You is so great.

Took me a while, but I finally found it.

Posted: **Fri May 08, 2020 12:56 pm**

mister d wrote: ↑Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:38 am "I'll Still Destroy You" is creeping onto my favorite National songs list.

Posted: **Fri May 08, 2020 12:58 pm**

I remain "very mad" they didn't play it when we saw them in Boston on the Sleep Well Beast tour.

Posted: **Fri May 08, 2020 9:23 pm**

Let's just get high enough to see our problems
Let's just get high enough to see our fathers' houses

Posted: **Sat May 09, 2020 9:13 am**

Bonus interview with Matt and the same journalist about the same album 10 years ago

I bet it was more than 20%

Posted: **Sun May 10, 2020 5:18 pm**

I think my top 5 has drastically changed recently. Alligator is currently, at best, 4th.

Posted: **Sun May 10, 2020 9:07 pm**

I can sorta see that.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 10:39 am**

Cheddz (or anyone else) ... If I'm going to go through a pointless exercise of best 3 song run on each album, do you want it posted or do you want me to wait until you've looked without (massive) influence?

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 10:43 am**

mister d wrote: ↑Sun May 10, 2020 5:18 pm I think my top 5 has drastically changed recently. Alligator is currently, at best, 4th.

Becoming dated? Maybe not even its fault, just musically not what their recorded output sounds like anymore.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 10:49 am**

Yeah, that plus the whole "sad dad" thing doesn't really start until Boxer despite a few songs that qualify. Its like there are three lines to draw (in MS Paint, like you would on a map of the US) now where I used to see only a before/after. First two (line) Alligator as the bridge (line) four album peak (line) "The One With All The Guests".

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 11:13 am**

mister d wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 10:39 am Cheddz (or anyone else) ... If I'm going to go through a pointless exercise of best 3 song run on each album, do you want it posted or do you want me to wait until you've looked without (massive) influence?

Throw it behind a spoiler. I'll do the same at some point.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 11:17 am**

Best three song run on the albums that matter:

Alligator:

[+] spoiler: (9) All the Wine (10) Abel (11) Geese of Beverly Road

Boxer:

[+] spoiler: (1) Fake Empire (2) Mistaken for Strangers (3) Brainy

High Violet:

[+] spoiler: (9) Conversation 16 (10) England (11) Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks this is by far the hardest and the reason I recently adjusted my rankings ... (5) Afraid of Everyone and (6) Bloodbuzz Ohio is the best tandem here and maybe on any of their albums but the dropoff on either side is too steep ... I expect Chedda to have a strong feeling here

Trouble Will Find Me:

[+] spoiler: (1) I Should Live in Salt (2) Demons (3) Don't Swallow the Cap

Sleep Well Beast:

[+] spoiler: (8) I'll Still Destroy You (9) Guilty Party (10) Carin at the Liquor Store

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 11:18 am**

No IAETF?

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 11:20 am**

I hate it.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 11:54 am**

Alligator

[+] spoiler: 3-5 Lit Up, Looking for Astronauts, Daughters of the Soho Riots had a shot, but ultimately it's defintely 9-11 All the Wine, Abel, The Geese of Beverly Road

Boxer

[+] spoiler: This one's tough. Slow Show and Apartment Story are definitely in. The question is, do you add Green Gloves at the beginning, or Guest Room at the end. I think it needs to be Green Gloves, Slow Show, Apartment Story

High Violet

[+] spoiler: Bloodbuzz Ohio, Lemonworld, Runaway. The next/last 3 are also amazing. This one's really fucking hard, and that's a hell of a Side B in total.

Trouble Will Find Me

[+] spoiler: This one is tough. Probably I Need My Girl, Humiliation, Pink Rabbits, but Humiliation may be the weakest song included in all of this.

Sleep Well Best

[+] spoiler: I'll Still Destroy You, Guilty Party, Carin at the Liquor Store. Similar to Boxer, it hurt a little to not include Empire Line, but I think Carin is the better choice

I am Easy to Find

[+] spoiler: This one was really hard also, but made a little easier by two short songs that were definite no gos. My pick here is Where is Her Head, not in Kansas, So Far So Fast.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 11:54 am**

mister d wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 11:20 amI hate it.

You're an insane person.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 12:50 pm**

No, I am smart and that album is disjointed and pretty bad and I'm already worried about my reaction to Berninger solo.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 12:50 pm**

Berninger solo is going to be forgettable

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 1:11 pm**

Like ... at best? Inside the band, his voice is great. If El Vy is any indication, I don't like it elsewhere.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 1:30 pm**

Fuck You

[+] spoiler: Pay For Me
Bitters & Absolut
John's Star

Fuck You, Too

[+] spoiler: 90-Mile Water Wall
It Never Happened
Murder Me Rachel

Alligator

[+] spoiler: Karen & Lit Up might be my fave two song run, but that's not what the "fun rules" dictate, so...

All The Wine
Abel
Geese...

Boxer

[+] spoiler: Slow Show/Apartment/Start a War
or
Racing Like a Pro/Ada/Gospel

Gospel might be my fave on the album at any given point in time, but...

Slow Show
Apartment Story
Start a War

please, let's leave before I change my mind

High Violet

[+] spoiler: Really tough...

Could probably be happy with any set of 3 starting with Little Faith

Bloodbuzz Ohio
Lemonworld
Runaway

Trouble Will Find Me

[+] spoiler: I guess...

I Need My Girl
Humilation
PR

Sleep Well Beast

[+] spoiler: The end of Walk It Back still bugs me, might have had a different answer...

I'll Still Destroy You
Guilty Party
Carin...

IAETF

[+] spoiler: Fittingly, given how infuriating this album is, the only "interlude" that I think really works is Underwater, but if it *wasn't* included my choice would be the other three tracks that end the album.

Rylan
Underwater
Light Years

or maybe 4/5/6? No, stick with the last three on the album.

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 1:49 pm**

My man!

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 2:05 pm**

I have to mow the lawn tomorrow so I'll pledge to listen again for the first time this year I imagine. My only retained impressions beyond "I hate this" are "Where Is Her Head" is pretty great live and I could find a spot for it on other albums (preferably with Lisa Hannigan since she's the female vocalist I associate with them) and they fucking ruined "Rylan".

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 2:53 pm**

mister d wrote: ↑Thu May 14, 2020 2:05 pm I have to mow the lawn tomorrow so I'll pledge to listen again for the first time this year I imagine. My only retained impressions beyond "I hate this" are "Where Is Her Head" is pretty great live and I could find a spot for it on other albums (preferably with Lisa Hannigan since she's the female vocalist I associate with them) and they fucking ruined "Rylan".

Watched a few of the recent live shows that they've posted. My Rylan rankings are as follows:

1. KEXP version
.
.
.
.
20. album version
.
.
.
.
.
.
8976. live versions from early in the IAETF tour

Posted: **Thu May 14, 2020 4:54 pm**

KEXP Rylan : 2019 Mister D :: Lillywhite Grey Street : 2001 Mister D

The Swamp

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