With an opening track entitled “Terrible Love”, I expected something physical, a viciously tough song to blast my senses. A tumultuous rage of fire and guitar squeals. Instead, what came pouring through my speakers was the listless daze of wayfaring dribble. “It’s a terrible love that I’m walking with spiders.” I’m sorry, what? “It takes an ocean not to break.” I guess? Matt Berninger himself has come out to speak lightly of his lyrical meanings as having no specific value, that they are just metaphors for feelings. That kind of cut and paste mentality can certainly work, but here it seems slightly too contrived for comfort.
While maintaining a dismal chug, High Violet, does kick slightly into gear upon the second track, “Sorrow,” and to be honest, I don’t know how the album doesn’t start here. With rushing high-hats and guitars alike, dreamy pianos, and a soft-droning string arrangement, the instrumentation is fluently complimented by a core opening statement “Sorrow found me when I was young.” The polished sound seems to be taken from a different album by the same band. I can tell it’s the same group, but the shift in maturity is, for an instant, startling.
Let’s skip to “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” Appearing roughly midway through High Violet, this is a song that was talked up from the first moment The National announced their new album. For some reason, I could not hear enough about “Bloodbuzz” even though I had never heard it before. With a band like The National, I am so indifferent to the music that my main focus has to be the words. Their compositions are not interesting enough to grasp anything and the noticeably signature tone of vocals make the lyrics becomemy focal point. In “Bloodbuzz Ohio”, a loose picture is drawn retracing the narrator back to his humble Ohio roots where everything is cynical and he only wishes to leave again. He is miserable and only wants to close his eyes until he disappears. Does it live up to the hype? Not exactly, but while being one of the stronger tracks on the album, it provides a proving ground that this album might not live up to the hype either.
Progressing to “Lemonworld,” we get one of the more enjoyable songs on the LP. The guitars are slapped with chorus and smack gently enough with pulsing tom-drums that the heartbeat effect feels impulsively right. Berninger’s lyrics here are the most straightforward. Discussing topics of childhood, the ensuing growth, and eventual bitterness, the vocal melody is always slightly off-beat by attempting to cram too many words and accidental rhymes. The separation of verse chorus verse blends so inconspicuously that ending “Lemonworld” accurately is as easy as a return to the beginning of its loop.
The remaining second side of High Violet floats so sleepily that I sometimes forget my place and forget where things begin or end. Aside from Polanski references of trouble over water in close to every track, the majority of the material is quite forgettable. However, fans already have nothing to worry about, as The National deliver a record that will do nothing less than strengthen their following.
I’m a lil bummed that this review doesn’t mention “England” at all! I can’t stop listening to that song.
Terrible love could well be about addiction. Feeding the spider is a term coined by AA, I believe. It means keeping the addiction alive. “It takes an ocean not to break” could mean a lot of effort needs to be put into not getting completely swallowed by the addiction (into it’s “rabbithole”). Walking with spiders would be a lot like playing with fire in this case. Grüße aus Berlin!
High Violet is a poignant sound scape, intended to intimate particular feelings, experiences, that, as it’s been said by sooo many poets, often leave one without words…
I have to say, Julian (the reviewer) just seems like a cynic that may be one of those short-attention spanned pop-radio listeners who needs to be punched in the nose by the kick drum, or have his hand held melodically. I also read his crushing review of VT based song-writer Kris Gruen’s fantastic new record. 10 Listens should reconsider his representation.
Ouch buddy.
Honesty is a virtue after all. Which is why I had to give my own opinion about the High Violet album. Throughout my review I feel like I never really discredit High Violet all together, I just feel that The National are a little over hyped for what the music is. I’m not saying they aren’t a good band, but they just don’t grab me in anyway.
Maybe I am a little bit of a cynic. But I’m certainly not a short-attention pop-radio listener as you would like to pigeon hole me.
All this being said, calling for my job? That’s probably a bit over the line.
To the other comments: You are respectful people with very good feedback! Cheers.
Julian,
Your review of High Violet was disappointing, but your review of Kris Gruen’s Part Of It All was ugly. I happen to know Gruen’s work, and it deserves much more respect than you gave it. Your personally charged, negative comments will be on the lead page every time someone Googles his name for quite some time– a professionally damaging turn of events for the young artist. You begin by declaring his music as a mere solution for being in the shadow of his father’s success as a photographer– that’s not criticism, that’s harmful speculation.
As a reviewer/critic your job is to take your readers (by-way-of the strength of your writing, a strength I feel you lack) further into an appreciation of music by sharing a knowledgeable insight for what works and doesn’t work in the music you review.
In reading your reviews (especially yours of Gruen’s), you don’t seem to know how to manage the power you’ve been given as critic. Even in High Violet, you seem to look for opportunities to explain yourself by way of meaningless insults: “Instead, what came pouring through my speakers was the listless daze of wayfaring dribble.” It seems your motivation to review stems from personal baggage.
When you use your review to practice belittlement, you debase the very potential endowed the critic. That’s why I suggested 10 Listens reconsider your representation. The good critic enlightens, not dims. To do this you must be equally inspired to explain your point of view when you love, and when you dislike the music. With all due respect, I feel your reviews are tedious (poorly written), not fresh, not inspired, and in turn, not convincing.
Any way, consider your reaction to my earlier comments and realize that your feelings in response to my review of your work are very similar to those of the artists you bash.
Finally, I write this with apologies for the long delay in my response. Thank you for the chance to dialogue.