the National : "First Two Pages of Frankenstein"

There are albums I measure an artist by. For this band it's "Trouble Will Find Me". Up to this point it feels like the band has not tapped into the same depth of feeling. That has changed with this album. The vocals are more memorable and melodies weave complex webs of melancholy around everything. Granted this album has nothing really to do with Frankenstein like the title suggest. Instead they have written some thoughtful songs, that are introspective , but still go somewhere. Matt's sullen baritone remains understated but with impeccable phrasing as the lyrics bounce off the music around him. Sufjan Stevens contribution of harmony vocals to the opening track, sits back in the mix. They indulge the kind of musings that play to their sonic strengths that border familiar territory without sounding stagnant. 

Phoebe Bridgers joins them on "This Isn't Helping" . Her voice cuts through more than Stevens did. She feels like more of a working part of the song. They pick up the tempo to a marginally poppier pace for "Tropic Morning News". This album sounds great and it's impressive they produced it it themselves. "Alien" coasts along an easy going middle road, that makes me think kids today will feel this is like the Barry Manilow of their day. It lacks the offensive edge that makes rock music dangerous, and makes this to casually play in a suburban coffee shop. I can also hear how this sits sonically not far from say the War on Drugs, when the smooth guitar solo comes in. They are so flowing in what they do it is hard to fault them. "the Alcott" which brings in Taylor Swift, is poised to expose a whole new generation to a while new kind of music, though to be fair it is not far from what Tay Tay does on "Folklore". How could anyone not see this coming. 

"Grease in Your Hair" required multiple listens before the subtlety of the writing caught up with me. The more folk flow of "Ice Machines" was another song that took time to sink in. Matt is singing up close to the mic in almost a whisper. There is more to the ballad "Your Mind is Not Your Friend" which Phoebe Bridgers returns for. Her vocals play a lesser role in this song. The pleading reflection of "Send for Me" hovers by with an intangible breeze of sound. I will give this album a 9.5, and see how it grows on me. The easy listening mood of the album brings heavy replay value, but there is a uniformity to the beige shades the songs are colored with.