First Two Pages of Frankenstein
With help from Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers, and Sufjan Stevens, the National return with their gentlest album yet: a collection of airy, tender gestures.
With a little help from Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, The National deliver a dose of catharsis with their finest album in a decade
First Two Pages of Frankenstein is yet another dose to remind you why – and how – the band have managed to carve their own special place out in the cultural landscape.
The National create a deeply absorbing world from the swirls and abstractions of an interior monologue on The First Two Pages of Frankenstein.
After sinking into a deep depression, Matt Berninger returns with The National on this reassuring, if rather soporific, collection of songs
Differences between albums by the National can be measured by minute degrees, each marking a distance from the group's melancholic center.
An excellent exploration into recovery from depression, passion and addiction, this is one of the finest records The National have released in quite some time.
It’s a wonder The National haven’t collaborated with film director Noah Baumbach, considering both have an affinity for returning to tense, deteriorating, and broken relationships as their preferred medium.
Few bands have had an impact quite like Brooklyn-formed The National, who first came to fruition back in 1999. With each album this remarkable quintet
The US band’s ninth album features guest vocals from pals Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers, but their signature melancholy remains undimmed
The National’s ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’ doesn’t break new ground, but it’s an exemplary display of what the band does best.
Indie rockers The National use every tool in their toolbox, from devastating lyrics to a Taylor Swift feature, to create a cohesive and expressive ninth LP.
First Two Pages of Frankenstein by The National album review by Adam Williams. The band's full-length drops on April 28th via 4AD
It’s been four years since The National last released a full-length, but they’ve hardly been absent in that time. Matt Berninger released a solo record, Aaron Dessner played a major part on Taylor Swift’s two lockdown records and released a new Big Red Machine album, both Dessner brothers played on Complete Mountain Almanac, the Devendorf
The National - First Two Pages of Frankenstein review: A letter of resignation.
The National brim with confidence, Jessie Ware channels Jennifer Lopez and Wet Leg, and punk veterans The Damned tackle some knotty issues
These slow-burning songs never quite ignite, despite the arguably incongruous presence of big-name guests