Album Review: The National - Trouble Will Find Me

The National
Trouble Will Find Me
Rating: Grrrr

It is easy to overlook The National. They aren't flashy, gimmicky, or trendy. In fact, they are probably the most reliable band out there at the moment, always putting out record upon record of comfortable, assured alt-rock. I am sure the band is not thrilled about being considered the musical equivalent to a Lazy-Boy chair, but there is something nice in knowing that you are going to get what you get with The National, and their haunting lyrics and subtle way with melodies is never less than stunning. With their last album High Violet, I thought I had reached the saturation point with the band, believing they had reached the ultimate rung in their upwards trajectory, and a much needed U2/Radiohead sound+game changing shift in their output was needed. Several listens in to Trouble Will Find Me, I actually began to think this was true. While most records from The National require a growing period before you understand what they are going for, with this record I just didn't get it. Throwing my hands up in frustration, I began to develop the thought that "gasp" could this be my first review of theirs that would be less than glowing. Trouble Will Find Me is by far the most subdued record from The National, and perhaps that is what struck me as so odd about the record. There were no immediately killer singles like "Bloodbuzz Ohio" or "Squalor Victoria" that grabbed hold of you. For the most part, these songs are languid and tranquil, the subtle shifts in tone and melody are almost imperceptible at times. Although the tag "grower" is often used with The National, here it is very apropos, and it is almost frustratingly so. But once it ultimately sets hold, Trouble Will Find Me is completely rewarding and another stellar release in their canon.

The National are still commenting on middle class ennui and existential crises, and they always have some new and pointed way to make this sound fresh and not cloying. With lines like "I have only two emotions/Careful fear and dead devotion" from "Don't Swallow The Cap," "God loves everybody/don't remind me/I took the medicine and I went missing," from "Graceless," and "You didn't see me I was falling apart/I was a television version of a person with a broken heart," Matt Berninger and Co. have a knack for reaching into deep reservoirs of wry observations. And new to the band is a almost tongue in cheek playfulness, drawing from a deep knowledge of music and making sly references throughout the record. Towards the end of "Humiliation" Berninger drops lines from the chorus of "Blue Velvet," album closer "Hard to Find" drops "They can all/Just kiss off into the air" in reference to the Violent Femmes classic track "Kiss Off," while in "Don't Swallow the Cap" Berninger tells his lover that "If you want to see me cry/play Let It Be or Nevermind." These humorous asides littered through the record bring some much needed levity to what is basically their most somber, and stately record.

Most of the tracks are down tempo, with melodies that take awhile to make their presence known. Only on a few occasions does the band amp things up, and even then, they are not necessarily barn burners. Tracks like "Sea of Love," while more forceful, take their time building into something fiery,



"Graceless" is the most driving song, featuring another solid backbeat from drummer Bryan Devendorf, while "Don't Swallow the Cap" builds to a sublime state of raw intensity.



Aside from these tracks, the rest of Trouble Will Find Me is a more introspective and moody affair which is what initially made me pause in my assessment of the record. But once you get over the fact that the pace of the record is going to be more languid, you can inhabit these gorgeous tracks and let their intricate and sublime melodies wash over you and take you within yourself. I love the quiet interplay between guitars and strings on the haunting "Fireproof," the majestic piano-led ballad "Pink Rabbits," and the lumbering behemoth of "Demons" which feels on the cusp of banality until it suddenly takes a slight turn into one of their most affecting moments.



It is essential to give Trouble Will Find Me time to reveal its subtle secrets. I will admit to almost giving up on the record several times, my anxious brain incapable of allowing this record's charms to wind themselves within me. Thankfully I resisted the urge to put this record on the shelf, and now I find it is currently one of favorite records from The National. In this age of constant musical barrage, there is something to be said for a record that stands on its own terms, not needing anything other that its own beauty to sing its praises.

Rating Scale:

Chilfos: masterpiece; coolest thing I've heard in ages.

Woof Daddy: excellent; just a hair away from being a masterpiece.

Grrrr: very good; will definitely be considered for my top releases of the year.

Yeah Daddy Make Me Want It: good; definitely invites further listens and piques one's interest for more material.

Meh: not horrible, but certainly not great; could have either been polished, trimmed, or re-thought.

Jeez Lady: what the hell happened? Just plain bad. They should hang their heads in shame and be forced to listen to Lady Gaga ad nauseam as penance.

Tragicistani: so bad, armed villagers with pitchforks and torches should run the artist out of the country for inflicting this abomination on the human race.