By Ryan Stephens
Dark and depressing material typically produces some of the best music of any generation and The National knows this better than any band of the current generation. The National, consisting of Matt Berninger, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and Scott and Bryan Devendorf, built their entire discography around their problems and struggles as the average American male and their most recent album, “Trouble Will Find Me”, delves even deeper into their current problems. “Trouble Will Find Me” ends up being some of their strongest material and a must have for anyone that appreciates some true lyrical cleverness.
“Trouble Will Find Me”, like all other The National albums, deals with the problems the band members struggle with. The problems never end up being romanticized or overly exaggerated; they always end up feeling rather realistic and very easy to relate to. For instance, the album starts off with the self-loathing track “I Should Live In Salt,” a track that takes a regretful look at the relationship between lead singer Berninger and his brother Tom. The nostalgia comes across perfectly with Berninger’s signature baritone vocals and the amazing performance from the rest of the band. All the emotion and feeling invoked by “I Should Live In Salt” appears in the rest of the songs off of the album. Each song deals with a different issue that the band members, typically Berninger, and ultimately the title of the modern day Joy Division comes off as well earned. Much like Ian Curtis, Berninger’s lyrical style and vocal presentation creates a unique and easily identifiable style that sticks through this entire album and the entire discography of The National. Both bands focused on the skeletons in their closet and made some of the most visceral music to ever exist.
However, the album suffers in a few regards. As mentioned before, the incredibly heavy lyrics and strong performance from the band and vocals shows up in every National album. “Trouble Will Find Me,” despite its quality, plays it safe with the style. Not every album needs a groundbreaking or even a new sound but after a decade of recording albums and playing live shows, a mild change from the status quo would make the material fresh for fans and new listeners. Stylistically, The National experiences little hiccups or troubles with it but still, a makeover from this tried and true style would mark a maturing and evolution in their performance that would reflect the maturing of the subject matter of their lyrics. Again, the style follows the old adage, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but music that picks riskier choices typically ends up with bigger payoff when successful.
The National’s most recent album, “Trouble Will Find Me,” creates an entertaining and deep listening that any fan will appreciate and those that enjoy some truly beautiful lyrics will also find this album a perfect one to listen to. The band proves, once again, that they mastered creating lyrics relevant to the darker moments of an individual’s life without over dramatizing everything. Also, the sound the band perfected in the early 2000s comes back strong and helps with the overall message and theme of the album. With that though, the sound could have used a refreshing change from this but the style chosen presents an easily approachable sound that almost anyone could fall in love with. Overall, the album ends up being one that everyone should pick up and will almost certainly enjoy.