The OFFICIAL The National Thread

rass · Post by **rass** » Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:17 pm

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 1:10 pm

Just got another delivery notification from Amazon.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 1:38 pm

"Walk It Back" should have been the closer.

rass · Post by **rass** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 5:00 pm

I'm not a big fan of the closer, especially as the last track (unless this was the 90s and I wasn't the only one buying the CD and it was one of those hidden after 2 minutes of dead air tracks which admittedly be a weird move for the title track but that would be more appropriate for that song).

If Walk It Back was the last track it might be easier to skip while listening around the kids.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 8:55 pm

The tracking is odd on this one. Steven Hyden and a guy from Pitchfork pointed that out on Hyden's pod, and I agree completely.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:28 pm

And now I have to listen to a podcast. Where would I find it?

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Mon Sep 11, 2017 9:46 pm

Celebration Rock

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Tue Sep 12, 2017 10:13 am

Aren't you supposed to pick like an single line or obscure song title if you're going to tribute name something?

Rush2112 · Post by **Rush2112** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:48 am

Sometime Swamper RSL mentioned this today. Which was funny because I had it in my mind to look it up after my midday walk...it was a Perfect Day in Boulder.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_cont ... znV1DqUG6o

Post by **brian** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:43 am

Just realized The National's concert in Detroit is in the building I was married in and on our actual anniversary.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:48 am

Man I had a heavy Andrew Bird phase. I'll give that a listen.

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:30 am

rass wrote:If I ever ranked albums, let me know if I didn't have HV #1.

mister d wrote:You did, and for the dumbest of reasons.

I finally went back and re-read the thread. And yeah, I can do better.

There is an epic feeling to HV, the way the individual songs build and layer on, a lot of that due to the horns and orchestration. They started down that road with some of Boxer, but went all in on HV. I like that a lot, and they clearly made a decision to move away from that with TWFM, and I think it took me a little while to warm up to that album because of that.

Even though that oral history of Boxer mentioned that on SWB they were finally able to afford an actual orchestra (as opposed to recording separate instrumental performances and combining them after the fact) I think they've moved even farther away with their latest. If you took a song like Empire Line, which I like, and produced that "HV style" I think it would be a better song. A lot of the songs on SWB start and end at the same place, and don’t really move much of anywhere in between. On slower songs, like Born to Beg, or Carin... or Dark Side of the Gym that’s OK, but the ones with the driving drum tracks... I don’t know. Guilty Party has grown on me. I’ll Still Destroy You and Sleep Well Beast haven’t.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:43 am

I've read most of their dumb lines are ones Berninger comes up with as a joke and they convince him to keep in, but "Dark Side of the Gym" should have been vetoed at some level.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 9:46 am

I'm coming around a bit on Turtleneck.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:23 am

Well I'm NOT, Doug!

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:42 am

The album version is considerably more palatable than the concert version. It still sticks out like a sore thumb on the record. Kinda reminds me of Super 8 on Southeastern in that way.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 10:49 am

govmentchedda wrote:I'm coming around a bit on Turtleneck.

I like it. It reminds me of the songs done by El Vy (side project of Berninger and Brent Knopf).

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:04 am

I'm not ready yet to say that I like it, but I don't think I'll skip it while listening to the album.

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:09 am

I'm not ready yet to say that I hate it, but I think I'll (sometimes) skip it while listening to the album.

rass · Post by **rass** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 11:43 am

https://twitter.com/TheNational/status/ ... 5210832897

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:07 pm

mister d wrote:Well I'm NOT, Doug!

I was jamming yesterday for the first time I could really pay attention to it. As soon as I heard this one song and was really digging it, I thought to myself "I guarandamntee you this is the song that mister d hates". It was.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 12:52 pm

mister d wrote:Yeah ... no. Not even sure how it made the cut. Sounds like a bad Nick Cave impression.

That was on Sept. 10th. Today in an NME article ...

"Either lost in the melody or feral and demonic, his performance style has often been likened to that of Nick Cave."

This upsets me.

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 7:59 pm

Really like the new concert that's on YouTube. Filmed at Centquatre earlier this summer.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Sep 13, 2017 8:07 pm

Sound quality on that one was really insane. Clear, but still sounded like a real concert versus a TV show.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Sep 15, 2017 1:49 pm

Giff wrote:I was jamming yesterday for the first time I could really pay attention to it. As soon as I heard this one song and was really digging it, I thought to myself "I guarandamntee you this is the song that mister d hates". It was.

Still really don't like it.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Sep 18, 2017 12:26 pm

Full show in Ireland here: https://pitchfork.com/news/watch-the-na ... al_twitter

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Oct 04, 2017 8:38 am

"I'll Still Destroy You" is creeping onto my favorite National songs list.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:12 pm

I've seen them 4 times in 4 different types of venues, a small-ish House of Blues, Barclays Center, outdoors at Prospect Park and now the 3,500 seat Wang Theatre and this was def the right size and space. Given it was a new album tour it was still a really strong setlist despite not playing the song above and as much as I like Vanderlyle, I was tired of closing on such a quiet song. Cool to hear a pretty rare early track ("Son") and a real good crowd as far as appreciating the older stuff. Highly recommended, will see again ...

Nobody Else Will Be There
The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
Walk It Back
Guilty Party
Don't Swallow the Cap
Afraid of Everyone
Dark Side of the Gym
Empire Line
Turtleneck
I Need My Girl
This Is the Last Time
Green Gloves
Son
Secret Meeting
Apartment Story
Bloodbuzz Ohio
Carin at the Liquor Store
Day I Die
Fake Empire

Encore:
Lemonworld
Mr. November
Terrible Love

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:24 pm

mister d wrote:I've seen them 4 times in 4 different types of venues, a small-ish House of Blues, Barclays Center, outdoors at Prospect Park and now the 3,500 seat Wang Theatre and this was def the right size and space. Given it was a new album tour it was still a really strong setlist despite not playing the song above and as much as I like Vanderlyle, I was tired of closing on such a quiet song. Cool to hear a pretty rare early track ("Son") and a real good crowd as far as appreciating the older stuff. Highly recommended, will see again ...

Nobody Else Will Be There
The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
Walk It Back
Guilty Party
Don't Swallow the Cap
Afraid of Everyone
Dark Side of the Gym
Empire Line
Turtleneck
I Need My Girl
This Is the Last Time
Green Gloves
Son
Secret Meeting
Apartment Story
Bloodbuzz Ohio
Carin at the Liquor Store
Day I Die
Fake Empire

Encore:
Lemonworld
Mr. November
Terrible Love

They've been posting setlists in the comments of their Instagram posts, and every show starts with the same 4 in a row that start the new album, and then go from there. That's what, 4 Alligator songs last night? Can't complain about that.

How was Turtleneck live? Did you make a bee line for the bathroom, or just piss on the next guy over?

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:29 pm

It was absolutely a pee song, and I saw one of our friends who we weren't sitting with out for that one too. I've heard it enough live online to know it wasn't going to work for me either way.

rass · Post by **rass** » Thu Oct 12, 2017 1:42 pm

mister d wrote:I've seen...4 different types of...Wang...and this was def the right size...it was...a new...really strong...d...and...I like...d...I was...appreciating the...stuff. Highly recommended...Will...Swallow...Everyone.S...I Need...This...Meet....or.a.Ly...I...Fake...o....Terrible Love

govmentchedda · Post by **govmentchedda** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:01 pm

https://twitter.com/_beyondthepond/stat ... 3687162880

You fucking kidding me? Apparently, Boxer is walking through that door.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 9:30 pm

Like four or five in or whenever I’d figured it out, it would have been a natural disaster flood (of semen).

Giff · Post by **Giff** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 10:53 am

mister d wrote:Like four or five in or whenever I’d figured it out, it would have been a natural disaster flood (of semen).

It's kinda how I felt when I saw Sturgill last year and about halfway through the show realized he hadn't played any off his latest record. I mentioned it to my friend and then the next song, he announced he was going to play it all the way through. I used to not like that idea for some reason, but it's been so amazing for any artist where I've heard it done.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Mon Nov 13, 2017 11:15 am

I think the more you've seen an artist, the cooler something like that is. I saw Okkervil last year or two years ago for the first time when they were playing Black Sheep Boy all the way through and it was great but I kinda missed the variability.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 10:27 am

The National was great last night. And sorry guys...but "Turtleneck" is a great song live. Lets them "stretch out" and play a bit rougher/harder then the other more restrained stuff.

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 10:41 am

Some nice deep cuts in that list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-nati ... 01d60.html

But I still disagree, it didn't work for me live or other live videos. It feels like a cover or they wanted to force in another MATT GOES NUTS song and it doesn't fit.

Do you agree that the size/setting of this current tour's venues is perfect for them? If I had "any flexibility whatsoever" I'd make a run down to Philadelphia for the show next Monday just to catch another one.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Wed Nov 29, 2017 3:36 pm

mister d wrote:Some nice deep cuts in that list: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-nati ... 01d60.html

The singalong version of "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" at the end of the encore was awesome.

Do you agree that the size/setting of this current tour's venues is perfect for them? If I had "any flexibility whatsoever" I'd make a run down to Philadelphia for the show next Monday just to catch another one.

I don't have anything to compare with (I've only seen them at the venue last night), but the Paramount in Seattle is a great venue. Super old theater that's been rehabbed and fixed up. We sat up in the balcony this time...my GF gets tired of fighting for a spot/sightline on the floor.

DaveInSeattle · Post by **DaveInSeattle** » Thu Nov 30, 2017 12:28 pm

They did a live session yesterday morning on KEXP, and played the unreleased song "Rylan".

mister d · Post by **mister d** » Thu Nov 30, 2017 12:31 pm

I was listening and I need to look to verify, but I'm positive I heard this song like 3 years ago. If not, I had a Berenstein Bears moment.