Tuesday, 24 April 2007

The Power of Understatement (and an introduction)

Well isn't this exciting? A shiny blog to write in and stuff. This is just a way for me to escape when I've got lots of work to do, and hopefully share some nice music to reward anyone unlucky enough to stumble across these ramblings. I guess I better do a boring introduction then. My name is Malcolm and some of my favourite things at the moment include Curb Your Enthusiasm, jumpers, sitting on grass, Sufjan Stevens and football chants. That's about as formal as I get really.

I started this blog as I felt I should make some kind of effort to document my rather mundane life, and as I don't have any artistic talent whatsoever, writing about other people's talent seems much more appealing. And obviously to share some ace music and talk to some interesting people!

So anyway I got the new album from The National to review from our student newspaper the other day, and its wonderful. maybe not as immediate as Alligator, but equally as brilliant.

I've always admired The National as their music can be deceptively simple and yet still be incredibly powerful. Matt Berninger has one of the most atmospheric voices I've ever heard. He doesn't have to wail to sound heartfelt it just comes naturally in his delivery of beautiful but not sentimenatal lines like

You know I dreamed about you // for twenty-nine years before I saw you // You know I dreamed about you // I missed you for for twenty-nine years

I don't mean that the band are just a transmitter for Berninger's vocals, certainly not. The musicianship is superb, but in the vain of Nick Cave and Tom Waits there's something really comforting in listening to someone who sounds very very grumpy. Despite being critically lauded, The National are still a relatively unknown quantity for the most part of the UK and with only two dates scheduled for this side of the Atlantic, one at the Astoria in London on May 22nd, the other at the quite brilliant Latitude Festival in Suffolk in July, it may remain that way. Hopefully not though. 'Boxer' is released on May 21st on Beggars Banquet.

I couldn't leave this first post without an MP3 though could I? After all that's what blogs are for innit? Unfortunately, Due to a bit of a mix-up on the promo version's tracklisting (I know, get me with me promo copy) you get two for the price of one here, half of my favourite track on the album 'Ada' and half of the album's finale 'Gospel'

The National - Ada

This has been fun! Til' next time! I'm off to Pigs tonight I think (can you tell I'm enjoying this link button?) I imagine I will drink cider and grumble about the size of people's hair and the lack of Belle & Sebastian, but such is life.

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