It was bound to happen: I’m obsessed with Boxer, the new LP from the National. Obsessed as in it’s all I’m listening to – in my car, at work, at home, on my computer.
I loved Alligator, and now I’m trying to decide how Boxer ranks against it. Some thoughts: Alligator is excitable; Boxer is tempered and more even-keeled. Boxer also feels more cohesive as a whole than Alligator does. There are fewer peaks and swells where Alligator (Abel, Mr. November) was a bit more temperamental. Regardless, they are each fantastic albums.
For the record, Apartment Story is Song of the Year material without a doubt. How does one even begin to write lyrics like this?:
“Oh we’re so disarming darling, everything we did believe/
is diving diving diving diving off the balcony/
Tired and wired we ruin too easy/
sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave.”
Thanks to AOL’s the Interface for a glorious four-song session by the band. I trimmed up the original MP3 into individual tracks. But download in full (with interview) here. You can also check out video of the performance.
The National on AOL’s the Interface:
Mistaken for StrangersApartment StorySlow ShowStart a War
This sounds fantastic; thanks. It’ll have to hold me until they come back to Phoenix, eh.
And, yes, the lyrics on Boxer are fantastic. This is one of my favs, from “Guest Room”
“They’re gonna send us to prison for jerks
for having vague ideas of the way to turn each other on again”
In preparation for ACLF in September, I grabbed both these albums on a whim, and I’ve been enjoying both of them. I’m not at a point where I can say I like one over the other, but I’m leaning towards Alligator now… only because it was the one playing on my way in to work this AM.
cheers!
b.s.