By William Ruben Helms

The National High Violet
4AD
Release Date: 5/10/10

With the upcoming release of their fifth and latest album, the Brooklyn-based quintet of Matt Berninger (vocals), Aaron Dessner (guitar, bass guitar, piano, banjo and drums), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Bryan Devendorf (drums) and Scott Devendorf (guitar) have what may be a remarkable string of critically acclaimed and beloved albums which started with 2003’s Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers and continues with High Violet. Certainly, there’s been tons of ink spilled with critics and journalists making all sorts of odd comparisons: while doing some initial research for this review, I came across one critic who made some convoluted analogy that involved Bruce Springsteen and The National’s lead singer, Matt Berninger – uhmm what? In any case, I’ll try to avoid the tired and nauseating rock critic clichés by saying this: what makes High Violet and the rest of the National’s work so compelling and so exceptional is that they’ve managed to release adult records centered on adult concerns, adult emotions and adult thoughts. Personally, I don’t think I would have truly understood this album at say, 22 or 23 as much as I do now in my early 30s. It makes sense after profound, sometimes humiliating experiences – the sort that come only as you’ve started a career, loved deeply, lost, made mistakes, made major live decisions and the like. I’ve listened to this album and it resonates in a way that a lot of newer music these days hasn’t for me.

Unlike MGMT’s Congratulations where the songs feel cluttered to fill up sparse musical space, High Violet’s sparse arrangements are elegantly simple and create a brooding, haunted musical landscape that fit perfectly with the lyrics and with Matt Berninger’s voice. It ain’t often that you come across a lead vocalist with a baritone voice that conveys a multitude of emotion – ennui, sorrow, hope, love and awe – within a turn of a phrase. Much like the National’s music, it’s hauntingly beautiful, even on the album’s silliest lyric (“I was afraid I’d eat your brains”) and adds a gravitas to perhaps the most poetic line I’ve heard in quite some time (“I was carried to Ohio by a swarm of bees”). As an album, High Violet is the sort of album that requires multiple listens to reveal hidden gems. Bryan Devendorf’s drumming throughout is frequently jazz-like: in other words, it’s driven by complex and odd syncopation that fits perfectly with the rhythm section (which on certain songs also includes piano in the background). The addition of horns on a song such as “Runaway,” and violin and cello on “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks,” add a stately beauty to the proceedings. Astute listeners will recognize the moments where songs are reminiscent of the Smiths, All That You Can’t Leave Behind and How to Detonate an Atomic Bomb-era U2, late-era Roxy Music, John Cale (his Paris 1919 album) and even Remy Zero – with Roxy Music being the closest in spirit and tone.

High Violet is an exceptional album with a quiet, contemplative power and earnestness that’s uncommon in an age of brutal irony, short attention spans and an increasingly clueless and fickle musical and artistic culture. Don’t be surprised when this album deservedly lands on tons of critics best of lists at the end of the year.

Track Listing

1. Terrible Love
2. Sorrow
3. Anyone’s Ghost
4. Little Faith
5. Afraid of Everyone
6. Bloodbuzz Ohio
7. Lemonworld
8. Runaway
9. Conversation 16
10. England
11. Vanderlye Crybaby Geeks