The National: Sunshine on My B&Ck

[cobl04]

Hahahaha

And yeah, totally agree, it was a bit of a comedown having Sigur Ros after LCD.

 

best of luck with bab. She's gonna have great taste in TV, that's for sure.

__________________

[iron yuppie]

Well my vinyl shipped this morning, so I should be spinning this by middle of next week.

(This post comes to you in memory of U2PopMofo, who used to update us so routinely on the shipping status of all his CD purchases)

[cobl04]

Ha. My order says it's not shipping til release day, so I should expect to get it sometime in December.

[monkeyskin]

I'll be picking mine up whenever my jb Hifi vouchers arrive. $10 gift card for every $14 of Whiskas means Xmas has come early for my cat.

2nd Sydney show announced for those keen to spend some extra time in a better climate.

[intedomine]

No luck getting tix in the stalls for Melbourne - wondering whether to hold out for a 2nd show or just cop a place on the hill

[cobl04]

Neither, so frustrating. Handsome Tours reckon Sydney's the only one getting a second show. I'm gonna wait and wait until people start selling their tickets.

[LemonMelon]

Now I'm really happy I managed to snag tickets for their show at the Greek. I haven't seen them since the High Violet tour.

[djerdap]

All four songs that came out so far are excellent.

Can't wait to hear the whole thing.

[purpleblackeye]

I am hearing the album live on Tuesday at Union Transfer in Philly. I can't wait. With the four songs released so far, it's shaping up to be their best album.

[AndrewCowley]

When is the physical CD being released in stores?

[djerdap]

Originally Posted by AndrewCowley

When is the physical CD being released in stores?

September 8. This Friday.

 

It's a very good album. More uneven than Trouble Will Find Me in my mind, but it ends on a really strong note with the final four tracks.

Dark Side of the Gym is one of the most beautiful songs they ever did, and that is saying something, considering the competition.

[gump]

Hear The National Perform 'Sleep Well Beast' In Its Entirety : NPR

[Dalton]

Is anyone else having a problem downloading the digital files?

[Dalton]

 

That opening synth on Walk It Back is how babies get made

[Danny Boy]

Just found this at Target? Mistake?

[Danny Boy]

Welp, took it to the register and it wouldn't ring up.

[iron yuppie]

Got my vinyl early and gave it a very focused spin.

 

This is an especially brooding album even by The National's standards. It's sonic and spiritual cousin is Boxer IMO: somber, delicate songs only occasionally interspersed with hard-driving tracks. Songs like Green Gloves and Gospel feel like touchstones, but there is also something about Sleep Well Beast that feels very fresh. It might be the minimalist beats/electro textures running through pretty much every song; they are noticeable but never distracting, and in some cases bizarrely affecting (Nobody Else Will Be There, I'll Still Destroy You). The band is in lock-step as well; The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness is actually an outlier in how much one member of the band stands out.

Hard to pick favorites right now because the damn thing is so consistent in song quality and so well-sequenced. For example, when Matt starts singing "it all catches up to me" in Guilty Party, it feels like an absolute gut punch because of all the lyrical content that came before it, much more so than it would in isolation. I think a lot of people will see the lyrics as related to a dissolving romantic relationship, but really it could be about distance growing between any two people, or even two versions of yourself: who you are and who you wanted to be, or who you are and where you are heading. Anyway, anyone who hears this and says the band doesn't evolve is full of shit. Great, mature album.

[Dalton]

Originally Posted by iron yuppie

Got my vinyl early and gave it a very focused spin.

 

This is an especially brooding album even by The National's standards. It's sonic and spiritual cousin is Boxer IMO: somber, delicate songs only occasionally interspersed with hard-driving tracks. Songs like Green Gloves and Gospel feel like touchstones, but there is also something about Sleep Well Beast that feels very fresh. It might be the minimalist beats/electro textures running through pretty much every song; they are noticeable but never distracting, and in some cases bizarrely affecting (Nobody Else Will Be There, I'll Still Destroy You). The band is in lock-step as well; The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness is actually an outlier in how much one member of the band stands out.

Hard to pick favorites right now because the damn thing is so consistent in song quality and so well-sequenced. For example, when Matt starts singing "it all catches up to me" in Guilty Party, it feels like an absolute gut punch because of all the lyrical content that came before it, much more so than it would in isolation. I think a lot of people will see the lyrics as related to a dissolving romantic relationship, but really it could be about distance growing between any two people, or even two versions of yourself: who you are and who you wanted to be, or who you are and where you are heading. Anyway, anyone who hears this and says the band doesn't evolve is full of shit. Great, mature album.

Thanks or the review. I've been listening to it all day too.

Were you able to download your digital files? My code isn't working. Just wondering if it's because they don't activate until Friday.

[iron yuppie]

Yeah I was able to use the download code.

[Dalton]

Well shit.