The NationalBest The National Albums Ranked

First Two Pages of Frankenstein

nme

10

““I go in and out of phases of exhaustion, dejection and despair, but not in the way that some people do,” The National frontman Matt Berninger told NME in 2020 when discussing what shaped his stately debut solo album ‘Serpentine Prison‘. “You can get so lost inside the weight of all of it.” Berninger found himself at sea in the years that followed, battling depression and writer’s block. With his”

Laugh Track

pastemagazine

9.0

“There’s something to be said about a band that never gets worse. You can point to any post-Beatles band and find a dip in quality someplace, but it’s hard to perform such a task when piecing through The National’s catalog—which has grown one album larger this week, upon the surprise release of Laugh Track. If you believe that Boxer or High Violet or even Trouble Will Find Me are the various apexes”

I Am Easy to Find

pastemagazine

9.0

“For all intents and purposes, Matt Berninger is a New Yorker. Though not born in the Big Apple, he moved to Brooklyn in 1996 and has written a bevy of songs about the five boroughs, “Daughters of the Soho Riots,” “The Geese of Beverly Road,” and “Born to Beg” standing out the most, the latter of which features the prophetic line, “New York is older and changing its skin again / It dies every 10 ye”

I Am Easy to Find

thelineofbestfit

9.0

“The National take their boldest, most self-assured step yet with I Am Easy To Find”

High Violet (Bonus Track Version)

pitchfork

8.7

“Returning with a slightly darker and more ornate sound, the National remain masters of widescreen, emotionally engaging rock.”

First Two Pages of Frankenstein

pastemagazine

8.5

“The band’s ninth album is their most emotionally resonant in years”

High Violet (Expanded Edition)

ben

8.4

“I like this album. A lot of solid tracks, especially bloodbuzz Ohio. But it’s a little 1D.”