The National - First Two Pages... & Laugh Track Album • Page 51

I love every song on here except for the second Phoebe Bridgers feature. Other 10 songs are all fantastic.

All of the drumming is great.

 

Also, there are some National fans who hate T Swift, huh?

 

it's insane that we're living in a world where Aaron Dessner works with Taylor Swift on the regular. she's a fan and appreciates his band a hell of a lot, why wouldn't they work with her and how is it any different than working with Bridgers or Stevens or Vernon, all massively accomplished artists in their respective spheres aside from the indie cred? collabing with a ridiculously successful pop star who's into your long-running indie band so Aaron gets to say he did that and cross off a bucket-list feature is all good by me.

 

Anyone wanna uhhhhh talk about some stuff in DMs

 

Yeah. The National are huge and AFAIK have always been upper class artsy types, so, even if the National never happened, they aren’t as removed from the celebrity elite world as we want to believe. As weird as it is, the friendship and collaborations make some sense.

 

When she first surprised us all with Folklore, learning how much Aaron was able to bring in his regular collaborators and she was excited to have them all involved, how excited they were once they learned who they were working with, and then the expansion of that on Evermore where she was much more comfortable with going all the way in the whole collaborative spirit Justin, Aaron, and Low all bring to their work...she's in this. She found a group of musicians who respect her as a musician and not just view her as a means to an end.

When you consider how protective Justin is of the Messina and doesn't just share it with anyone but was willing to use it with her voice on Evermore - yeah, that's a huge deal.

 

DM’d you some Blink Insta posts. Let’s talk there.

 

Okay listened through twice and I absolutely love this.

 

On third listen, with the singles thrown back in (I know, I know), I think this has enough variety and oomph to circumvent a lot of the “samey” or “slow” criticisms.

It feels like a companion to SWB the way TWFM paired with HV. Like a second pass at those kinds of sounds done with a different, looser, less stylized execution.

 

Once Upon A Poolside is already a mind worm. Already know the words.

 

I always felt this very deeply, how welcoming and relieving that must have felt for her after…everything. It’s one of the things I love about the closing title track on Evermore when she and Justin reach the end of the song and share the stanza:

I was catching my breath
floors of a cabin creaking under my step
And I couldn’t be sure
I had a feeling so peculiar
This pain wouldn’t be forevermore

The cabin being such a mythic part of the Bon Iver lore now feels really special that they share that together in the song. I always feel like I’m hearing both of their narratives at once at the end there and it’s one of my favorite moments because it all circles back around to the peace and community she’s found with this new group of people in her life who don’t take advantage of her anymore.

 

I always think about this when I listen to BRM LP2 and how there are all the usual suspects for both JV and AD...and then Taylor. She doesn't pitch in on BRM songs and willingly be part of the marketing for the album if she's not all in on the collective.

 

The opener is perfect.

 

I immediately like this way more than the last one. Even with more recognizable guests, they don't overwhelm the proceedings in the same way. Just feels way more like a National record rather than an album where The National repeatedly cedes the stage to other people.

 

Is there anyone near who’s heard this in full who wasn’t big on the singles? If so, curious what you think of the full thing

 

I liked Eucalyptus a lot but wasn’t too big on the others. I think this is a fantastic album

 

This is good news, thanks ! Last two singles grew on me a bit listening today but I was still kinda lukewarm, feeling more optimistic now

 

I was this person but the singles unlocked for me around the time they dropped Mind.

IMO, they fit better in the flow of the record and (sorry to say, if you don’t like them) are the “energetic” tracks in the first half. BUT the non-singles in the back half are great and (at least for now) my favorite tracks on here. I think I like Mind less now with the context of the full album though.

 

Counterpoint: I like Mind way more in context

 

This has me excited.

 

This is your mind talking.

 

I don’t actively dislike them, I think I’m just a little underwhelmed. To be fair this is a band that I kind of need to be in a certain vibe to enjoy best and I haven’t been there lately, probably gonna hold off for the official release for that reason but this sounds promising

 

Really enjoyed my first listen, and I'm very excited to give this more listens over the spring and summer. I can already tell I'm going to fall more in love with it. That said, it's very hard for me to imagine this winning over anyone who disliked the singles, or those who have been hoping for a more exciting or energetic direction.

First listen highlights: Poolside, New Order T-Shirt, Ice Machines, Your Mind, Send For Me

 

I’m curious whether someone who has never heard the National before would fall in love with this record. To me, it sorta feels like a warm, deep pocket in the inner National-verse more than an outreach album the way High Violet and TWFM were.

 

Much better in its entirety.