The Swamp

Had an IAETF epiphany, more to come when I feel like it ...

Alligator (April 2005): "Abel" and "Lit Up" were the singles. At some point I became aware of them and liked those songs but they're louder than I normally go for so I don't even think I ever checked out the full album. Back then you had to buy full albums to hear full albums and its before I discovered KEXP who would go beyond the singles.

Boxer (May 2007): All in pretty much immediately. Late 20s, engaged, so the whole growing apart from friends due to distance / life-stage while in a grownup relationship stuff really hit.

High Violet (May 2010): About to start a family, anxious album with a focus on being a new parent ... presumably when they became my official favorite band versus one of my favorites.

Trouble Will Find Me (May 2013): Worst album of the five, at a transition time moving from Boston to (Syb, stop reading) a town we more or less instantly didn't like. Terrible fit for us, so a worst-than-before album for a worse-than-before time when maybe everything is going to be worse going forward.

Sleep Well Beast (September 2017): Much happier with my personal situation, but the world sucks infinitely more. Album is much better than the one before, but is also far darker and unhappier. Lock step.

I Am Easy To Find (May 2019): Personally settled in, world is still awful, this album should be right in their wheelhouse where you're resigned and complaining about the shit that's half in your head and/or situations that don't actually hurt you personally but still ruin things ... so they do a concept album with like a half dozen fucking guest singers to show their versatility or growth or whatever. And who knows, maybe the subject matter I wanted is actually there, but its so jarring that I almost immediately declare it sucks. This was not a time for experimentation or transition; conversely it was a time for digging into the mundane and doing exactly what you've done before to get through (hopefully) just another year and a half more of this before you can restart.

Summary: They diverged exactly when they shouldn't have and that's why its their fault I wasn't, and still am not, receptive to IAETF.

It's so "story of a girl's life". Surprised it didn't get more traction with a fan with two daughters.

I just didn't dig the execution.

1. Female vocals jarring, jump in weird.
2. Good.
3. Real bad.
4. Good song, good balance, like her voice.
5. This song sucks.

[starter cord just disconnected, blades at it and now the mower won’t fucking start ... worst goddamn album]

6. No.
7. Fine, bet it would be great with Annie Clark.
8. Pass.
9. Still like this one, would like a version with Lauren Mayberry?

10. I think this is when I officially didn’t like the album the first time through and nothing has changed.
11. More like so far, so slow.
12. What about this song says “an album by The National”? Is that the real problem that they count it as one of their studio efforts?

13. Good.
14. 1:10-1:33 is the meanest thing a band has ever done to me.
15. Liked this better when it was the intro to “The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness”.
16. Fine. Whatever.

Verdict: I still don’t like it and now I’m $325 poorer. Complete disaster.

One you two post your definitive Rylan that will make me hate the recorded version.

(please)

KEXP is the definitive version. It’s not complete, but once you heard they were finally going album version there was top 10 song potential.

The only thing that keeps the album version from being an abject disaster is that once they cleaned up the hook ...

Underwater you're almost free
If you wanna be alone, come with me

... is the platonic ideal of a The National lyric.

I’m now listening to Sleep Well Beast outside while grilling (in a winter hat because I’m unable to handle cold once warm has begun) and it’s insane the drop off. Like one hit wonder level peak to shit. So mad.

SWB is so great. Better than IAETF, sans Turtleneck.

Some sort of behind the scenes, in the studio, thing going on right now on the band YouTube page. I suspect it's studio work for Matt's solo album. The one little stretch that I heard was nice. Kinda stripped down, minor chord, has a little "Patience" by GnR feel to it.

rass wrote: ↑Thu Mar 17, 2016 10:32 am So is a massive collection of Grateful Dead covers curated by members of The National enough to finally get mister d and rush to get together and fuck like we've all been rooting for, or will it just drive them further apart?

Not sure how I stumbled into this thread. I don't feel like scrolling through 12 pages, but I have to know, did Mister D and Rush end up fucking?

A lady never tells.

(harmonica in the second half seems unnecessary)

I'm a fan.

Going to listen to this now.

Some of these rhymes are pretty simple?

God dammit ...

I looked up those screencapped accounts and they seem to be real MAGA assholes. Wow.

mister d wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:11 pm Thursday night was the worst setlist but best show I’ve been to. Rain kept people under cover for Courtney Barnett but we had ponchos and ended up about 5 rows back on the right side of the stage. Great energy, really like the new stuff better with just one guest (Kate Staples) and they seemed really appreciative of the crowd. The encore was, I think, five songs with “Vanderlyle” a singalong with him out in the crowd.

One year ago to the hour, give or take, I was doing much more fun shit than I am right now.

mister d wrote: ↑Sat Jun 20, 2020 5:42 pm

mister d wrote: ↑Sat Jun 22, 2019 8:11 pm Thursday night was the worst setlist but best show I’ve been to. Rain kept people under cover for Courtney Barnett but we had ponchos and ended up about 5 rows back on the right side of the stage. Great energy, really like the new stuff better with just one guest (Kate Staples) and they seemed really appreciative of the crowd. The encore was, I think, five songs with “Vanderlyle” a singalong with him out in the crowd.

One year ago to the hour, give or take, I was doing much more fun shit than I am right now.

Damn, that show was great.

Like an asshole I knew there was going to be rain before leaving home and I still didn’t pack shoes that would get less soaked than converse all-stars. Still a wonderful time.

Matt and Carin on Mike Birbiglia's new podcast "Working it Out", in conversation with Mike and his wife, Jen.

Hey Ched: I liked Distant Axis the first time I heard it, when it was called "_______" by "_______"

20 seconds in, and it's definitely Crane Wife by the Decemberists.

Right? Fucking shit. How does that even see daylight?

Holy Hell. If you just played that for me out of the blue it's 100% crane wife.

The guitar work is fucking note for note. The rest of the song not so much. I suppose it'd be different if it weren't such an iconic song, and it wasn't aped so completely.

Reminds me of a certain song on Albert Hammond Jr.'s debut solo album and a certain Joy Division (I think) song. (I might be remembering this one completely wrong).

Pretty sure what I'm thinking of is "In Transit" by Albert Hammond Jr., but a quick Joy Division search turns up nothing.

c'mon you guys

New Taylor Swift album out tonight, largely produced by Aaron.

I will listen under the guise of catering to my oldest.

1989 is fantastic, and I'm in. Remember, it's Matt that does the lackluster non-National stuff.