High Violet

I like when he sounds like Nick Cave, but man is this album boring. Nothing here bad, but this came in one ear and out the other, and you can easily place what time this was made in the history of music, and in that case it is not a good thing. It's just so wishy washy, none of the "intense" moments feel like they earned it, and I'm just left questioning why this album has so much praise. Especially with such deep lyrics as "I'd eat your brains, 'cause I'm evil, 'cause I'm evil." Not bad I guess, but I never wanna hear this again. I'm thinking a light two at the moment, but it may be a one by the time I rate it.

Nah, it doesn't annoy me enough for a one star.

Such a killer album. This is probably my second favorite from them after Boxer, which shockingly isn't on this list. It's worth it for Bloodbuzz Ohio alone though, but I'm biased.

Sitä parempaa viime vuosikymmenen indie-rockia. Toimii edelleen!

Wat een verschrikkelijke zeur-plaat is dit weer....

Slow maudlin Indie, extremely not to my taste

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES, I already listen to this album on repeat. Easy 5 stars, makes me want to retroactively go back and downgrade every other album, I have been being too generous with my ratings. Standouts include Bloodbuzz Ohio, Lemonworld, England, Vanderline Crybaby Geeks, Terrible Love, and Little Faith. And the rest of them.

I've tried to get into this album many times over the past decade or so, but apart from 'Terrible Love' and 'Bloodbuzz Ohio', I've always found it dull and melodramatic. This time around I did hear some instrumentation on 'Conversation 16'and 'England' that I really liked. But apart from that I wasn't moved. Maybe someday this will click with me the way 'Boxer' did - I love that album but I've always been fairly lukewarm on the rest of their stuff.

One of the great indie albums of 2010’s

Terrible Love is an interesting song to put in the 1 spot. Sorrow was a single I remember fondly. Im just not really into it.

Better than most other albums of this era, less whimsical and more muscular.

Really good album, probably helped to such a high score by the fact that I listened to it a few times through. Reminds me a lot of some of my favourite bands, but in a way that doesn't feel like they are just copying anyone. For example, they sound a bit like a younger, American, version of Elbow. Terrible Love, Lemonworld, and Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks stood out for me

I kept listening to this album hoping it would eventually grab me. It's not bad, it just doesn't pull me in. I think the issue is, like other bands of this genre, every song is basically built around one riff that repeats over and over - maybe growing or fading, but still the same riff. The riffs are good and at least each song is somewhat unique, but individual songs don't seem to "go anywhere." It didn't help that they started with a lo-fi sound on Terrible Love and I'm not a fan of that style of recording. I liked the second track (Sorrow) much better. I like the singer's voice - reminds me of Mark Sandman from Morphine (particularly on Little Faith). Other songs I liked: Afraid of Everyone, Bloodbuzz Ohio, and England. I'll give it a 3 because I wouldn't mind hearing it again, but don't think I'll seek it out.

EDIT: I said I wouldn't listen again, but after submitting it, I found myself revisiting the album and really enjoying it. Changed the score from a 3 to a 4!

Despite having origins in my hometown of Cincinnati, I somehow completely missed the boat with The National. Now, listening to them consciously for the first time, I can see why: it's very competent music but it also sort of just blends into the general milieu of the indie rock of its time. And since they seem to almost exclusively dwell in a state of heavy melancholy, the album collapses under its own weight rather quickly for me. Come to think of it, "Heavy Melancholy" should be a subgenre of indie rock. If it were used as a label it would be really useful, because it would make it so much easier for me to avoid exhausting albums like this one.