Author: Michael

Posted in Album Reviews

The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein (2023)

Posted on by Michael

While the band has not released anything since 2019’s I Am Easy to Find, members of The National have been busy with solo albums and working extensively with other artists. Anytime the band gets back together is a reason for high anticipation.  And so arrives First Two Pages of Frankenstein with much talk about the writers block that singer Matt Berninger suffered through during the process.

Like their younger colleagues, this time around The National brings in a slew of guest vocalists including Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers, and world conquering Tayler Swift. Stevens helps on the minimal album opener, “Once Upon a Poolside” but neither Bridgers tracks really hit.  Swift’s appearance is more memorable as she sings lines back to Berninger and adds her own style on lines like “The last thing you wanted/It’s the first thing I do”.

When it’s just Berninger, the songs tend to lean heavily on relationships moments.  “Eucalyptus” sees a couple splitting up their possessions during a break-up including the records. “New Order T-Shirt” has a cascading beat laying the bed for “split second glimpses and snapshots and sounds”.  This new release sees the band quiet and introspective, what’s missed is the band rocking out especially when they have a stellar rhythm section of brothers Bryan and Scott Devendorf.  They are only truly unleashed on “Tropic Morning News”.   Instead, the band opts for electronics that all start to blend into one another as the album continues.

7.5/10

Posted in Album Reviews

Lana Del Rey – Did You Know That There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd (2023)

Posted on by Michael

For her ninth studio album, Did You Know There’s A Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd, Lana Del Rey enlists a slew of co-producers and collaborators. Clocking in at a Metallica like 77 minutes, the 16 songs average close to 5 minutes in length.  Second single “A&W” uses pulses for beats on a track that stands for American Whore. Not the easiest listen where Lana sings “It’s not about havin’ someone to love me anymore” and later “I’m invisible, I’m invisible”.   The song then ups the beats and segues into “jimmy jimmy cocoa puff”.  Lana uses a similar trick later on album closer “Taco Truck x VB” that adds demo version verses from earlier single “Venice Bitch”.

The album is dominated by slower songs like the muffled drumbeat of the title track.  “Candy Necklace” sees Lana mumbling over a piano bed. The songs on the second half of the album vary a bit more such as the atmospheric “Paris, Texas” that sees Lana’s voice rise and fall with the piano.  “Grandfather Please Stand on the Shoulders of My Father While He’s Deep Sea Fishing” is a touching, personal moment about family. Father John Misty appears as a paramour on “Let the Light In” before Canadian rapper Tommy Genesis provides a bounce as she raps “hands on your knees/I’m Angelina Jolie” on the relatively energetic “Peppers”.

With 16 songs to make it through, Did You Know is a long listen.  Many tracks are minimal, with a small number of memorable moments. The album includes two lengthy interludes, the first from celebrity pastor Judah Smith and the second from Grammy winner Jon Batiste that sounds like they were having fun.  The minimal approach may have worked better on a shorter album but here, it contains several skippable moments.

7/10