Friday, May 24, 2013

A fifth great album for 2013

So, month five and the fifth contender for album of the year invades the airwaves. The National's magisterial Trouble Will Find Me is simply great. Wonderful songs, Matt Beringer's sublime baritone, the band's tight and terrific playing, lyrics that finger the travails of love and life with an envious precision make for an intense and rewarding 50 minutes or so.

What's also great about the CD is its packaging: lovely paintings by band friends adorn the lyric booklet in a way that shows they still care about the album artwork which is heartening to see. Time was that part of the joy of buying an album was to sit with the gatefold sleeve and pore over the lyrics and other information. The art was part of the package, something visual that captured the themes or mood of the record you were listening to.

You don't get that with a download!

No comments: