THE NATIONAL - Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (2003) - Listens #3 and 4
So far I've rambled a few times - okay, pretty much in every goddamned post to this little blog - about vibe music, where one either catches the groove and gets into a song or not. And I've talked about why I'm not as into vibes. Maybe my whole vibes-vs-melody distinction is completely artificial and I'm just trying to come up with a way to explain why a lot of National songs from these first two records I don't find catchy, at least not in that "want to listen to over and over" way that makes everyone who writes about music using words fumble around for the right terms and talk in platitudes. Whatever it is that makes a song hit well, when it hits, everything in it, from the cord changes to the specific choices the lyricist makes seems brilliant. The Beatles or whomever are called musical geniuses despite making 3-8 minute collections of guitar and bass parts and singing much like their peers, except somehow doing it better and in a more interesting way. Part of the reason writing about music is a good writing exercise for me is that trying to find new words to communicate why I like something doesn't come easy. When a song does click, it's magical, and I want to be able to explain it to others.
Sad Songs has a bunch of parts of songs that click briefly. I think at least for these guys I can say that a harmonic riff with some dissonance plus a vocal that puts the catchy tune and the interesting or unorthodox lyric in the same bit is probably the best way to get me, but I can't be any more specific than that. I adore lots of bits of these songs when I can remember which part went with which song. Love the end of "Cardinal Song," starting from where the strings come in (yeah, this record dials back on the keys in favor of a violin here, a viola there, but always in specific places) - too bad the buildup doesn't quite keep me engaged enough to really serve as the payoff that it could have been. The second half of "It Never Happened" remains great. The basic verse with the electronic sounds from "Sugar Wife" sounds really good, too bad the song doesn't really go anywhere from there. A few others. Again, I don't always even remember which bit goes in which song. This most recent listen I'd remembered "Thirsty" as a bore until it got into a bit in the middle that made me remember that I quite liked it - I no longer have any memory of how the good part goes. Anyway, when things go well, it's music and it sounds good. And when things go really well, you get a favorite song.
Right now my favorite National song is "Murder Me Rachael." The moment it starts playing I just get excited. I love the way the guitars pulsate to sell the building tension. The hook is ear-wormy but doesn't get old and Matt delivers it well. Through pure enunciation, even without changing volume or tone, he then conveys what I'll call "repressed, slightly confused menace" to make a line like "tomorrow won't be pretty" become scary. The drums are placed perfectly, throwing in an extra beat or run just where they're needed. It's wild and controlled. I've even grown to like the way it builds to a shouting part but suppresses it with the wall of fuzz. If there's a such thing as "objectively" good, I don't know if "Murder Me Rachael" is as objectively good as "The Perfect Song," the best track on the last record. I do know that the one I want to listen to and could consider listening to constantly is MMR. I've been waiting for a song to hit that way, and damn, does it ever hit.
Okay, now keep doing that thing, and more often, and through whole songs!
Seriously, though, curious to see which of the different threads the National keeps tugging at. I believe with Bryce as a full member we now have the final lineup (feel free to point and laugh if I have that wrong). Hopefully they continue to explore the aspects that I personally enjoy most. This record has been an interesting listen, but it still feels more like a start, not a peak.
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