Well on the one hand, ho hum, another terrific National album, but on the other hand, records this good shouldn't be taken for granted! Sleep Well Beast is just a touch more frayed than the ones that've come before it, layered with a handful more fracturing little programmed details, but it's well of a piece with their usual metier.
I generally most like the rockier ones, though then there's the slow build of "Empire Line", and also "Carin at the Liquor Store", which is an A-grade classic National piano ballad, complete with mopily resigned lyrics about not even caring about being blamed, it's a foregone conclusion, plus I do also particularly like "Dark Side of the Storm" and its Lynchian mood too, so actually maybe I just like nearly all of the songs on here, which after all is entirely typical for this band.
I generally most like the rockier ones, though then there's the slow build of "Empire Line", and also "Carin at the Liquor Store", which is an A-grade classic National piano ballad, complete with mopily resigned lyrics about not even caring about being blamed, it's a foregone conclusion, plus I do also particularly like "Dark Side of the Storm" and its Lynchian mood too, so actually maybe I just like nearly all of the songs on here, which after all is entirely typical for this band.
