UPC: 191400002029
Format: CD
Release Date: Sep 08, 2017
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Personnel: Kyle Resnick (vocals, trumpet, flugelhorn); Justin Vernon (vocals, synthesizer); Lisa Hannigan, Arone Dyer (vocals); Josh Kaufman (guitar); Domitille Gilon, Pauline Hauswirth, Ariadna Teyssier, Matthias Piccin, Marc Desjardins, Leslie Boulin Raulet, Emilie Duch-Sauzeau, Charlotte Juillard, Nikolai Spassov (violin); Benachir Boukhatem, Marine Gandon, Sarah Chenaf (viola); Barbara Le Liepvre, Juliette Salmona, Ella Jarrige (cello); Maaike Van Der Linde (flute, bass flute); Emma Landarrabilco (flute); Renaud Guy Rousseau (clarinet); Bastien Nouri (oboe); Louise Lapierre (bassoon); Benjamin Lanz (trombone, synthesizer); Cédric Bonnet, Romain Bly (horns); Katia Labèque (piano); Nick Lloyd (organ); Erwan Castex (keyboards, electronic percussion); Jan St. Werner, Andi Toma, Thomas Bartlett (keyboards); Jason Treuting, Eric Beach (drums, percussion); David Chalmin (drums); Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner , Bryan Devendorf, James McAlister (drum programming).
Audio Mixers: Jonathan Low; Peter Katis.
Recording information: Funkhaus, Berlin; Future Past, Hudson, NY; Illegoland; Long Pond; Michelberger Hotel, Berlin; Studio Saint Germain.
Photographer: Graham Macindoe.
Arranger: The National.
The National never seem in a hurry to reach their destination, but there's a sense of quiet urgency on Sleep Well Beast, their seventh album. Much of that momentum arrives in arrangements that generally tend to eschew the grayscale of its 2013 predecessor, Trouble Will Find Me, a record that felt sculpted so that each element was elegantly interlocked. Comparatively, Sleep Well Beast draws attention to itself through the occasional squall of noise ("The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness") and rushed tempo ("Turtleneck"), but also through an expanded sonic palette. Electronics are used for texture and shade, vocal harmonies glide through the mix, pianos anchor a couple of tunes -- all subtle gradients within the National's recognizable formula, but they're enough to give Sleep Well Beast a distinct character. Such a shift may not be startling, particularly since it takes a while for album opener "Nobody Else Will Be There" to fade into view, but by the time the murmuring title track evaporates, it's evident that Sleep Well Beast offers a journey with satisfying detours. This is a welcome departure (and perhaps necessary complement) to Trouble Will Find Me, which celebrated its finely manicured stillness. While Sleep Well Beast offers more than its fair share of hushed moments -- the National design their music to be lean-in listening, requiring an investment from their audience not only so that the lyrics can be deciphered, but so the subdued shifts in emphasis seem dynamic -- this familiar signature seems enhanced by the fact that these soft, slow songs are surrounded by cuts where the darkness opens up slightly but significantly. It's enough to make Sleep Well Beast feel like a dramatic departure in the close quarters of the National's discography. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Audio Mixers: Jonathan Low; Peter Katis.
Recording information: Funkhaus, Berlin; Future Past, Hudson, NY; Illegoland; Long Pond; Michelberger Hotel, Berlin; Studio Saint Germain.
Photographer: Graham Macindoe.
Arranger: The National.
The National never seem in a hurry to reach their destination, but there's a sense of quiet urgency on Sleep Well Beast, their seventh album. Much of that momentum arrives in arrangements that generally tend to eschew the grayscale of its 2013 predecessor, Trouble Will Find Me, a record that felt sculpted so that each element was elegantly interlocked. Comparatively, Sleep Well Beast draws attention to itself through the occasional squall of noise ("The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness") and rushed tempo ("Turtleneck"), but also through an expanded sonic palette. Electronics are used for texture and shade, vocal harmonies glide through the mix, pianos anchor a couple of tunes -- all subtle gradients within the National's recognizable formula, but they're enough to give Sleep Well Beast a distinct character. Such a shift may not be startling, particularly since it takes a while for album opener "Nobody Else Will Be There" to fade into view, but by the time the murmuring title track evaporates, it's evident that Sleep Well Beast offers a journey with satisfying detours. This is a welcome departure (and perhaps necessary complement) to Trouble Will Find Me, which celebrated its finely manicured stillness. While Sleep Well Beast offers more than its fair share of hushed moments -- the National design their music to be lean-in listening, requiring an investment from their audience not only so that the lyrics can be deciphered, but so the subdued shifts in emphasis seem dynamic -- this familiar signature seems enhanced by the fact that these soft, slow songs are surrounded by cuts where the darkness opens up slightly but significantly. It's enough to make Sleep Well Beast feel like a dramatic departure in the close quarters of the National's discography. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine
Tracks:
1 - Nobody Else Will Be There
2 - Day I Die
3 - Walk It Back
4 - System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
5 - Born to Beg
6 - Turtleneck
7 - Empire Line
8 - I'll Still Destroy You
9 - Guilty Party
10 - Carin at the Liquor Store
11 - Dark Side of the Gym
12 - Sleep Well Beast
2 - Day I Die
3 - Walk It Back
4 - System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
5 - Born to Beg
6 - Turtleneck
7 - Empire Line
8 - I'll Still Destroy You
9 - Guilty Party
10 - Carin at the Liquor Store
11 - Dark Side of the Gym
12 - Sleep Well Beast