monday's mandatory music (pt 10)

so i am back and ready to get going on some fresh album reviews/exposes for all of you to enjoy. again the whole focus of this is to share the music that has acted as the soundtrack for my life over the past 3-5 years to give you a glimpse into my life and to hopefully get you searching out more new music. i also would love to hear your takes on some of the albums ive talked about and also share some of the albums that you have come to love, or find very impressive, or sleep with under your pillow every night ... im keen to know.

with the mission statement out of the way lets dive into this weeks selection, 'boxer' by the national. the national, a 5 piece out of brooklyn (home of amazing music) create a very deep almost puplely melodic sound that has been referred to as a gothic style. the main reason for this is description and label can be attributed to lead singer, matt berningers warm mellow baritone voice that plays the leading role for the national. berningers voice has tremendous depth and warmth while at the same time projecting an understated sophistication and understanding.

the album opens with the rolling track 'fake empire' which kick starts the album and demonstrated the bands stripped down sound, clever drum fills, and is the perfect introduction to berningers vocals. 'mistaken for strangers' the albums first single shows how the national creates an authentic sound that has an understated edge or grit to it that actually comes across very melodically and well composed. the 3rd track, 'brainy' is a drum fueled ballad where the nationals songwriting ability really shines. again understatement rings true not only for 'brainy' but for all three of the albums opening songs.

'squalor victoria' offers the listener an opportunity to really get into the gothic musical architecture that the national builds through the combination of drum, piano, simple guitar, and berningers voice. 'green gloves' lies at the 5th position is almost contrast to 'squalor victoria'. 'green gloves' focuses on the soft nature of the national where berningers voice is reminiscent of a mellow springsteen. 'slow show' again features more vocals and more acoustic guitar that paints a peaceful background for the firm tones and images created by the tracks lyrics.

'apartment story' is another single off the album that really highlights all that the national is (click the link). 'start a war' is a personal favorite of mine about abandonment and clinging desperately onto something that is slipping away more and more the tighter the grip becomes. on the track 'guest room' we get a heavy does of the duo of vocals and drums and on 'ada' we get that duo couple with some guitar picking and a more uplifting vibe overriding the entire song.

'racing like a pro' is very stripped down and consists of mainly soft guitar, piano, and a warm bass that help to settle down the latter half of the album. the thoughful and emotional lyrics totally complete the song and really help to complete the entire album. where 'racing like a pro' would be the perfect set up man (this is baseball season folks) 'gospel' is the ideal left handed closer. the song like 'fake empire' has a rocking (like waves to a boat) rhythm that paints a beautiful and perfect the national picture which is made complete with berningers voice, soft piano chords, warm acoustic guitars, and understated drumming.



fake empire

stay out super late tonight
picking apples, making pies
put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

tiptoe through our shiny city
with our diamond slippers on
do our gay ballet on ice
bluebirds on our shoulders
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire

turn the light out say goodnight
no thinking for a little while
lets not try to figure out everything at once
it’s hard to keep track of you falling through the sky
we’re half-awake in a fake empire
we’re half-awake in a fake empire