The National - First Two Pages... & Laugh Track Album • Page 79

To each their own, but Guest Room is one of my favorites on Boxer. Fantastic writing, great aggressive drumming, and wonderful lead guitar. Certified grade A banger in my book.

 

didn’t wanna be
your ghost
didn’t wanna be
anyone’s ghost

 

Does the title track remind anyone else of Invisible String?

 

My 10/10 combined album is something like:

Poolside
Deep End
Eucalyptus
Turn Off The House
Alien
Space Invader
The Alcott
Grease In Your Hair
Dreaming
Hornets
Laugh Track
New Order T Shirt
Smoke Detector

Gotta think about it harder but that’s pretty solid

 

This album is really good.

 

Phoebe is utilized in a really cool way on laugh track, singing in a kind of different mode / register for her.

 

Yeah. I would have no idea that was her and it’s a perfect tone against Matt’s voice.

 

really liking Dreaming on my second run-through. glad they finally gave into their instinct to just make a U2 song

 

i don't really like this record that much but it's marginally better than the last one and Deep End is a great track

 

Ok

 

Knee jerk first reaction is that this is damn near flawless. It doesn't take a ton of chances, or reinvent the wheel. It does hit the itch for me though, especially the lyrics. Matt really hit the spot with those this album.

Dreaming, hornets, and smoke detector knock it out of the park.

 

Full body gentle shutdown
So many people to let down
Don’t even think about me

 

Yep, would love to see her explore this more on her next solo album.

 

Not the biggest National Fan, but I immediately connected with this album. Killer listen from front to back. Love that they got a feature from Phoebe that isn't her classic moody verse contribution.

 

this is the best of the three phoebe features easily. the other two were low points on frankenstein (not because of phoebe, really, just not the most interesting songs)

 

Still think "Your Mind is Not Your Friend" is a total knockout, don't really understand the lukewarm response to that one

 

Can't help but think of this Nathan For You sketch when I see a song called Smoke Detector:

 

Your Mind is Not Your Friend is one of the stronger cuts on Frankenstein for me, but tbf they've gone to that piano ballad quite a lot in their late career and I get people cooling on it

 

It's another one for me where the album version is excruciatingly boring but it's a great song when they've played it live.

 

“At least I’m not on the roof anymore.”

 

On second listen, I do think Laugh Track is slightly better than FTPOF, but I'm still not as sold as everyone else. I really think the best from each album would make for an all-timer, though.

 

Laugh Track is definitely better than Frankenstein but it still drags in the second half with too many mid tempo ballads (and also no shade to people who like it but I find Weird Goodbyes to be very lame still). Crumble is cool though I feel like it’s different for them it sounds kind of like 90s alt rock. Agreed that if you take the best songs from this and Frankenstein it’d be a spectacular album. Smoke detector just came on again as I type this and my god I love this fucking song lol.

 

i gotta say tropic morning news is incredible to me and i love it so much

 

I gotta say I agree with you. Probably my favorite song between the two albums.

 

Their best song since SWB imo