The National - Boxer . 2007
What's initially striking about this album is the production. Every sound on this album is perfect. This is how a snare drum should bang, how violins should swell, how distorted bass should grind... Everything sounds as it should, as though this is the most aesthetically pleasing arrangement of instruments and sounds possible. and that would be enough for most bands...
But what truly sets The National apart from other bands are the vocals. Maybe i just have a soft-spot for haunting Springsteen-esque singers. and if Matt Berninger sang just gibberish, 'Boxer' would still be just as beautiful...
But instead he takes us on a poetic journey, exploring themes of cultural and political disillusionment ("we're half-awake in a fake empire" / 'Fake Empire'), alienation from friends and society ("another uninnocent, elegant fall into the unmagnificent lives of adults" / 'Mistaken for Strangers') and suicidal impotence ("we’re so disarming darling, everything we did believe is diving diving diving diving off the balcony" / Apartment Story).
There's a desperate confidence to 'Boxer' that bathes you in hope despite its despair.
Standout tracks: 'Squalor Victoria', 'Brainy' & 'Start a War'
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