Album of the Week - Vol. 25

THE NATIONAL Trouble Will Find Me (2013)
Week: Tue 31st Jul to Mon 5th Aug 2024
Format: Vinyl, iPod
Producer: Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner & Marcus Paquin 
Tracklisting: 
SIDE 1
1. I Should Live In Salt *
2. Demons
3. Don't Swallow the Cup *
4. Fireproof
SIDE 2
5. Sea of Love *
6. Heavenfaced
7. This is the Last Time
SIDE 3
8. Graceless *
9. Slipped
10. I Need My Girl *
SIDE 4
11. Humiliation
12. Pink Rabbits *
13. Hard to Find *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 55:06

For years, The National was the name of a band I didn’t know anything about. I couldn’t have told you any of their songs or the titles of any of their albums. Although, the cover of this album did leave an impression on me when I first saw it; I was a little horrified by it. I didn't know the name though. I now know that this is the sixth studio offering from the group.

My first inkling to give them a listen came from a guest at a wedding I was playing at down south. I got talking to a fellow on my break about the band, and I confessed that I didn't know their work. He proceeded to recommend three songs of theirs to me:

1. Bloodbuzz Ohio

2. Fake Empire

3. I Need My Girl

I actually typed them into a Note on my iPhone, with every intention of checking them out. The date on the Note was 24th February, 2018. Pre-COVID. Pre-studying for counselling.

Fast forward to mid-2023. We find out that one of our favourite bands is coming to Perth, Fleet Foxes. They'll be playing in Kings Park, one of our favourite venues. But, they are a support act for The National. The National? Oh yeah, that band I never got around to listening to. Maybe I should delve a little. 

True story, those three songs from the aforementioned wedding guest were my launch pad. To the Spottersfy! The concert was happening in March 2024, so I had about six months to get as familiar with their material as I could. Those three songs were taken from their fifth album High Violet, their fourth album Boxer and this album respectively. I would focus much of my listening on these records. 

In addition to using Spottersfy, I also looked to the YouTubs to watch some music clips of the band as well. This yielded numerous spins of Bloodbuzz Ohio, as well as Graceless and Sea of Love, both of the former also coming from this album. I was digging them. I was quite surprised at how low the voice of lead singer Matt Berninger was. He has a timbre that is a mix of the baritone of Leonard Cohen, the melancholy of Nick Drake and a dash of a snarling Nick Cave. It makes their sound quite unique, and the dual guitar play of brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner is always fairly textured and varied. Drummer Bryan Devendorf always seems to be the most energetic player, excepting their quieter numbers. He locks into brother Scott's bass playing with the ease you'd expect from family musicians.

January is my birth month, and as I was asked for ideas of presents from my family, I offered up the idea of some physical copies of albums of The National. Expecting them to be easy to find on CD, I was elated when my birthday came and one of my gifts from the fam was this here album on Coke glass bottle coloured vinyl; the 2022 reissue. I can see why someone wouldn't dig the band, but I've since become quite the fan, and it was very cool to listen to so much of the music and then see them live.

Thought I'd give this album a fair few spins over the week, away from all that cramming in the leadup to the Kings Park show. I've still got a bit of listening to do to take in their full rep, but I'll get there. There are a few live concerts on the YouTubs which have also been great to take in. But, disturbing cover image aside, this is a great listen, and I've become quite fond of this album.

Kicking off with I Should Live In Salt, The National deliver a consistent sound to their previous material, which I now appreciate. It's a mournful song of regret, which suits the band well. The sonic atmosphere is limp and plodding, but with the odd squeal of guitar among its syncopated rhythm. It's a big highlight for me, but it's followed by Demons, which is my least favourite track on the album. I think it's the one track where the depth of Berninger isn't an asset, it's a weight. It's nigh-on impossible to singalong to and doesn't have much in the way of hooks. Bizarre, considering it was a single.

Thankfully, that's the record's nadir out of the way and the going gets better from here. Album standouts Don't Swallow the Cup and Sea of Love come in quickly, the latter featuring one of my favourite videos in recent years. If you haven't seen it, click here. The clip itself was inspired by a Russian music video by an eighties art rock group called Zvuki Mu. In fact, it's pretty much the exact same clip, but arguably The National's child guitar-mimer is a bit more charismatic. Check that video out here, you know, if you're interested in comparing. As well as having a great music clip, Sea of Love also includes the album's title in its lyrics, which is my favourite way of an album getting its name:

"If I stay here/Trouble will find me

If I stay here/I'll never leave..."

The midpoint of the album, and the first song on Side 3 is Graceless, another album highlight, and another great accompanying video. Shot in black and white, it depicts the band on some kind of boys' day out or stag do. Beer is involved, as is a bouncy castle, a slip-and-slide, a potato gun and other hi-jinx. Strong contender for my favourite song here, with a great energy and fab lyrics. This is the last track that gets your foot tapping though, as the record mellows out considerable from here. Not that that's a bad thing. In fact, the last two songs, are two of the best, Pink Rabbits and Hard to Find. The latter is particularly hypnotic, and makes me feel at ease. 

Considering how this album made me feel when I first saw its cover, I find it incredible how much I revere it now. If they hadn't toured Australia with Fleet Foxes in March this year, I might never have listened to it. Thankful for that.