Review By Chris Nowling: Any band that relegates a guest list including Sufjan Stevens and Justin Vernon to tiny font in the liner notes obviously sees no need to capitalize on the recognition recording with these artists might bring. And it’s true the National don’t need to be famous by association. These five gentlemen from Brooklyn have—in what could perhaps be described as a most traditional and unspectacular manner—transitioned into one of the indie world’s most revered rock bands. Now, with their fifth release, High Violet, they've about reached superstar status, and they’re ready for their close-ups, as it were. A quick look at the band’s two appearances on Letterman—the first to do Boxer highlight “Fake Empire” and the most recent to perform new single “Afraid of Everyone”—best exhibits what I mean. No longer does frontman Matt Berninger stand nervously clutching the mic, staring at the floor while delivering lines like he’s reading excerpts from his journal. Nowadays he gazes almost assertively outward, dressed to kill and sounding fantastic, while he and the band display previously unseen confidence as they run through a charismatic, dynamic performance.

Likewise, High Violet shows a more composed side to the band than we’re used to hearing. The group’s arrangements have grown increasingly complex over the years and here they're frequently at their most ambitious and striking, a tribute to the growing musicianship of all involved (and likely an increased budget). Berninger’s low croon is a more powerful weapon than ever, obvious from the album’s excellent first single, “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” These are things you’d likely expect from a veteran band seeking to refine and improve their sound while maintaining their distinctive edge—and it’s a sensible direction for the National to take. In fact, on paper High Violet seems the perfect follow-up to two spectacular and career-defining releases (2006’s Alligator and 2008’s Boxer). And occasionally it even sounds like it. But too often the new album fails to resonate emotionally or live up to the band’s own high songwriting standards. It’s still a good record that would probably be unfair to classify as a misstep, but it certainly does not follow the phenomenal upward trajectory these guys have been on as of late.

Opener “Terrible Love” unfortunately starts things on an off-note, with its murky production and an insistently awkward lyric (“it’s a terrible love and I’m walking with spiders”—an obtuse line even for Berninger) repeated to exhaustion. Which is too bad, because when the song takes off a few minutes later in a thunderous mix of high vocal harmony and percussion, High Violet is considerably more interesting. At the opposite end is “Conversation 16,” which is similarly unbalanced, falling apart after a wonderfully evocative first half when Berninger actually sings “I was afraid I’d eat your brains,” followed by the declaration “I’m evil!”. Granted, his writing has often focused on odd imagery and repetitious one-liners, a tool he previously used to convey intense emotion or create a vivid scene—and on highlights like “Little Faith” and the aforementioned “Afraid of Everyone,” it’s readily apparent that gift hasn’t left him. Therefore, it’s frustrating when he settles for phrases that seem, quite frankly, empty. It’s these troubling lyrical turns—sometimes lazy, sometimes overly earnest—that make High Violet an occasionally exasperating listen despite its few magnificent turns.

Musically, however, High Violet is generally inspired, even possibly the band’s most creative and progressive record to date. Lackluster songwriting can’t stop “Anyone’s Ghost” from getting under your skin as the percussion and swirling, reverberated guitar create uncomfortable bouts of tension and release. And when the mood lightens, however slightly, on the sad-but-sweet “Runaway” and the majestic “England,” Berninger’s baritone becomes downright beautiful—even entrancing. The band’s most triumphant moment, however, remains lead single “Bloodbuzz Ohio,” which finds Berninger channeling his world-weary, middle-class drama with a mixture of abstract imagery and more obvious insights that somehow strike uncomfortably close to home, while the band churns out a more urgent (and familiar) sonic backdrop to match. It’s one of several instances when everything comes together perfectly. So perhaps the National were too concerned with holding on to the dark, damaged image they’d established with their first few releases, or maybe they simply couldn’t evoke gripping, middle-class angst with such precision because it isn't as relatable for them as it once was. Whatever the reason, High Violet feels unsettlingly shallow compared to the band’s other albums. Impressive in some ways, for sure, but disappointing in many others. It’s only a passable record from a group that has proven themselves capable of infinitely more.

Last Word: The National’s fifth studio album only occasionally matches the brilliance that defined their previous two releases, resulting in an effort that can’t maintain the considerable momentum the group has built up over the past ten years.

Review By:
Chris Nowling

IN REVIEW ONLINE