The National - High Violet

The National
High Violet
2010 4AD

The National is a sentimental indie rock band with the rare ability to create a sonic atmosphere of contemplativeness and introspection for the listener. When they are able to pull off this trick perfectly (see their 2005 album Alligator) their music is incredibly brilliant. Active listening is rewarded and welcomed, but the National’s best work is that which amplifies getting lost in thought. Their previous albums, for the most part, had this quality; they could take you to places in your own past, and then they could dissolve into the background without being dull or uninteresting.

This quality can be good and bad, because there’s a fine line between an album lulling a listener into introspective thought and an album lulling a listener to sleep. High Violet, unfortunately, largely misses the mark the band had previously set, giving us a number of morose songs, each quiet and unremarkable. The first five tracks hum with low bass and dimness, with little differentiation between them and very few memorable segments. Unlike on the group’s two previous albums, Alligator and Boxer (2007), there’s very little relief in the way of a foot-tapping beat or a melodic movement.

Things do turn around at about the halfway point. Lead single “Bloodbuzz Ohio” features a yearning chorus and bright piano work, and is followed by “Lemonworld”, a simple, effective, lyrically dependent plodder akin to some of their strong earlier work. “Conversation 16” provides some great vocal work, but it’s High Violet’s penultimate track, “England”, that is its centerpiece. It strikes just the right tone of foreboding, with a hint of regality due to its utilization of horns. “England” reaches heights not otherwise heard on High Violet, which is a shame, because the song proves the band can still hit those transcendent notes instead of covering their songs in a melancholic veneer.

C+

John Lacey