#9 The National - Sleep Well BeastIt’s hard to blame The National for stumbling on Trouble Wil
#9 The National - Sleep Well BeastIt’s hard to blame The National for stumbling on Trouble Will Find Me (“Sea of Love” exempted). After all, they were coming off the impeachable threepeat of Alligator, Boxer, and High Violet. But even National 4-Eva Tru-Fan™ TWG was a little wary that the well was dry after that record. Hell, maybe even the band themselves felt that way, because Sleep Well Beast isn’t just a reinvigoration; it’s a reinvention. The National have long been a “they only have one song, but it’s a good song” band, but now they’re breaking out pulsing synths (”Walk It Back”), ticking drum machines (”Sleep Well Beast”), and searing guitar solos (”The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness”). The result is a record that’s more dynamic while still retaining everything that made the aforementioned threepeat so great. (Also, how hilarious is it that a song called “Turtleneck” is maybe their rawest, gnarliest, least shirt-tucked-in-dad song ever?) -- source link
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