THE NATIONAL - Cherry Tree (2004), listen #2

 
Last run-through I lightly praised “A Reasonable Man” for committing to its minimalism.  That was in my mind as I was listening to the EP again and was noticing that “Wasp Nest” isn’t necessarily any less committed to minimalism than “A Reasonable Man.”  You could argue that in certain ways it’s actually more so.  Here’s how I’d describe what happens in the song “Wasp’s Nest.”  There’s one Dessner or other playing a few note guitar pattern that repeats over and over.  There’s a very straightforward rhythm part that anchors the song and doesn’t change.  Over that, Matt sings a single vocal line over and over that’d be hard to describe as a “melody” since it doesn’t have much of a tune.  There’s not really a chorus, except that every verse/phrase/whatever ends with “you’re a wasp’s nest.”  Seems pretty minimalist, right?  Seems pretty boring, right?  At least for me it is.
 
In contrast, everything else on Cherry Tree is a virtuoso showcase by comparison.  “A Reasonable Man” actually does stand out for three reasons right away.  One, it’s just guitar and viola for a good part of its length, so it sounds, well, minimal.  Fans seem to hate it because it’s a little uncharacteristically lo-fi, actually.  Two, it’s got dueling vocals – while apparently (guest musician) Padma (Newsome) sings elsewhere on the record, here he’s the co-lead, and hearing how he and Matt harmonize is something different that we haven’t heard elsewhere on the record, or elsewhere in the band’s discography.  Three, it starts with the lyric “I don’t mind losing a girl to herself,” which is enough to qualify as mildly intriguing to hear where this thought is going.  Later in the song there’s a recognizable chorus or at least key phrase, and the volume goes up and down a little as we follow the narrator’s ambivalence about being “reasonable” and/or passive in matters of love and ego (at least I think that’s what the song’s about?).  It’s not the most dynamic song out there, but it’s a song, with a distinct feel that I might call minimalist.
 
On the whole this is not a very dynamic record, so “Wasp Nest” is the perfect introduction as such a dull slog.  Every other track is trying to do something, somewhere.  “All The Wine” has a clear verse-chorus structure and is a little livelier.  “All Dolled-Up In Straps” has, uh, that flute part towards the end, I guess, not much going on there either.  “Cherry Tree” has layers of strings that accumulate throughout the song as buzz along with the annoyance that the narrator feels towards the ”you” who won’t let whatever it is go, so the repetition feels tense rather than purely the same thing over and over.  “About Today,” uh, the main riff goes up and down rather than staying in the same place?  I’m trying here.
 
Yeah, there’s things going on here and there.  But as established, I like rock and roll, and I like vocal melodies.  I’m really not feeling Cherry Tree so far.
 
 
- Favorite track (of the new ones):  "Cherry Tree" (no change)
- Runner up:  "A Reasonable Man (I Don’t Mind)"
- Least favorite track:  "Wasp Nest”
- Current rating:  2/5 (no change)
 
My thoughts on listen #3 whenever I get around to it!

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