The National - Trouble Will Find Anthony Fantano

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City Middle >>>>> Cobbler's posts

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This will be unpopular, but Mr. November is my least favorite track on Alligator. It seems a lesser Abel. It's still good, definitely, but just not in the league of the rest of the album.
 
My two least favorites, Friend of Mine and Val Jester, are back to back. My only problem with the tracklisting. I think it flows great from All the Wine on and Mr. November is easily their best closer.
 
Friend of Mine is definitely the worst track. Jesus I love Val Jester though. The mood created is perfection.

This will be unpopular, but Mr. November is my least favorite track on Alligator. It seems a lesser Abel. It's still good, definitely, but just not in the league of the rest of the album.

WOW.
 
Mr November is great, and I've grown to dislike it as anything more than a closer. It's the kind of song that I either need to immediately go back to the beginning of the album once it's over, like, "noooo! It can't be done! It can't be over!" Or just turn off the music altogether for a few minutes, because nothing can really follow it.
 
Whaaa

Cardinal Song, Available, Murder Me Rachael...

I know they're fan favorites, they've just never clicked with me (and certainly not to the extent of lucky you). Available was cool live but otherwise I'm not a huge fan, Murder Me Rachel is the closest thing to a song that isn't Lucky You that I like off Sad Songs. And Cardinal Song, I can barely remember how that goes.
 
Cobbler really has terrible opinions about Alligator. Friend of Mine is one of the best tracks on there; that catchy chorus was one of the reasons I've listened to the album again after feeling underwhelmed after the first listen. If Abel and Mr. November went back-to-back, the two most energy-filled songs, the whole album would suffer since it would slow down the pacing considerably to the point of tediousness in other parts, if one would move Geese and City Middle to the first half. The beauty of the album is in its versatility and the ability to switch moods effortlessly while still being consistent.

Oh, and Sad Songs is still my second favorite. Without the Wives, it would have been pretty much perfect. I agree that Lucky You just might be their best closer.

I've seen them twice over the weekend and they're as good as they've ever been live. Matt and I were shrieking at each other during Vanderlyle, which marks our second "collaboration" after singing the chorus to Mr. November together last year. I'm not sure who was more drunk in both cases. Fun times.

And they played Lit Up! :drool:
 
Something the band has failed to recapture since, though TWFM comes close.

Yep. Boxer has that beautifully constructed, chamber music atmosphere but it starts to test my patience by the last three songs. High Violet is a complete mess as far as pacing goes (Terrible Love into Sorrow gives me Vertigo-Miracle Drug flashbacks; Runaway, although not a bad song, is a disastrous momentum killer, ditto Little Faith). That album is easily my least favorite aside from the debut.

Trouble Will Find Me indeed comes close; it's just a little bit too long. I'd get rid of Slipped. Not a terrible song or anything, but it drags as much as Runaway does, rendering it useless in the otherwise meticulously designed tracklisting.
 
I don't know how anyone could not love 90-Mile Water Wall. Friggin' hippy IWB.
 
Available is probably among my top five National songs. Matt has never delivered a more impassioned vocal.
 
I think all of the albums aside from the debut are very good. Great, even. Probably the only song that does nothing for me on the last few albums is Fireproof.
 
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