this is album is a couple years old now, so I don't feel quite right blogging about it, but I don't feel quite ready to blog about my most recent musical ventures (Peter and the Wolf, and the Traditionist) just yet. But that's not a real loss, because this is one of my favorite albums of all time, and I need a good rant right now.
The Nationals 4th album, Boxer, is a beautiful and sincere piece of work. It is host to lazy recluses (and rebellious ones) and people drunk and in love. When I walk down the streets with it playing in my ears, I feel like I'm somewhere else, in another city living another life, crooked and happy. Matt Berninger writes like he's been through a whole life and back again, and his tired baritone voice draws you in to the words and their meaning like no other singer I've heard. There are singers everywhere you hear, but don't listen to. Matt is not one of those singers.
The album is at times heavy and dark, and alternatively can be bright and soft. In fact, almost every other song switches off that way. There is a specific song on the album I can't get enough of, Gospel. With it's odd lyrics and it's washed out sound, it is unusually bright and romantic, making it stand out on the album and, in my opinion, making it the gem on the top of the crown. Don't miss out on this.
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