From the gorgeous opening piano melody of "Fake Empire" until the final moments of the album closer "Gospel," I have nary a negative thing to say about The National's most recent album Boxer. It is easily one of the best albums I've heard all year and the more I listen to it, the more I love it. Boxer (as much of The National's output is) is a grower and is full of many subtleties that really only reveal themselves after repeated listening.

Singer Matt Berninger's deep and boozy baritone moan and his incredible lyrics evoke the sort of imagery and feelings that leave me conflicted after listening; guardedly hopeful and uneasy of what comes next. Overall, Boxer sounds like part Interpol, part Joy Division, and part Arcade Fire though none of those comparisons are really all that close. The immediacy and power of Boxer is understated and something that might not be readily apparent on just a cursory listen. The album is densely populated by a litany of piano, strings, and horns but incorporated with such restraint that makes the instrumentation seem lonely and almost sparse rather than bombastic.

Like many of my favorite albums, listening to Boxer gives me a distinct feeling of time and place. On it the National has quietly and succinctly captured the essence of Brooklyn (or really any urban locale) and just how lonely it can potentially be swimming in a sea of a million people that just don't seem to notice. Personally, I can easily picture this album spinning on the turntable late at night with most of the lights in the house out, a few candles lit, and a half-empty bottle of red wine on the side table; my ears loving the melancholic beauty of it all.

And while the wonderful melodies that fill Boxer are certainly contagious, they aren't easy. What I mean is that they aren't gimmicky and don't use cheap melodramatic tricks. Think of the string arrangements during the climax of a sad movie and more than likely they are trying to coax tears from your eyes. The National employs none of those such devices on Boxer and that is why it will have staying power. Instead of an illusion, Boxer paints a picture of real life. One that punches you in the gut and then offers a hand to help you up.

Even so, all this is coming from a guy that thought The National's 2005 album Alligator was overrated by all those that included it on their year-end best of lists. So should you question all my praise for this album? Maybe. I know that Boxer is a masterpiece and I'm confident saying that. It is so good that I think it is time to dig out my copy of Alligator and find out what I was missing with that record.

MP3 | The National - Fake Empire Boxer
MP3 | The National - Apartment Story Boxer

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