LWA Blog — the national

Welcome to the Thanksgiving Day edition of Record of the Week. This week, the Randomizer is serving up The National's Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. This "Vinyl Me Please" reissue from 2017 is the copy I'll be listening to today. Released in 2003, their second album is kinda The National forming their Sad Dads schtick that is very much their brand today. Very indie, a little bit rock and slightly veering into alt-country territory at points. This album, I think, is kinda underrated in The National canon, which is now 10 albums deep (not counting live albums). It just doesn't seem...

The National have a new album out, First Two Pages of Frankenstein. I've listened a couple times, it's kinda more of the same formula they've been using but I like the formula. They add a couple variables into the formula by getting Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers and Taylor Swift to turn up. I especially like the Phoebe and Taylor tracks. Not mind-blowing album but good enough. I think they may have peaked with Trouble Will Find me but that's probably a different conversation. Check out First Two Pages of Frankenstein on Bandcamp.