It then quickly slides into a straining and eager tone, as the music swells to reflect the anxiety of watching a love slip between your fingers and being unable to stop it. The lyrics and the melody mimic each other throughout the song Ramani’s voice remains bored and impassive as the song takes on the guise of a soothing lullaby. This sensation is immediately validated by Lila Ramani’s voice droning, “the slow beats rock me back to sleep, keep me on automatic.” Ramani’s vocals hover over the top of a swirling mix of keys, bass, synth, and drums that faithfully echo her shifting mood. Listeners are quickly lulled into a daze by a dreamy guitar loop, followed by a repetitive and hypnotic drumbeat. This latest song features a mesmerizing combination of apathy and heartbreak, encapsulating the band’s singular blend of psych-rock and jazz. "Ghostride" is the 2nd single from Crumb's anticipated debut album, Jinx, which will be self-released by the band on June 14th. The National has been presenting singles from their eighth album, I Am Easy to Find, due out May 17th, in a way that feels somehow less revolutionary, less loud and less like a statement than another indie stalwart’s recent effort, Vampire Weekend’s Father of the Bride, but by no means less great. November.” As a result, the four-album run since 2007’s Boxer has been nothing short of stellar, showing the natural growth of a band that never seems to grow out of its prime. It’s not a ludicrous claim to call The National the most consistent band in alternative rock (although hardcore Spoonfans may disagree)-their first three records show immense promise in retrospect with gems like “All the Wine” and “Mr. Berninger, in his unmistakeable voice in its unmistakable rhythm with his unmistakable wordplay still delivers a touching chorus, not letting the artistry of it all detract from the beauty of lines like, “What are we going through, you and me? Every other house on the street’s burning.” He is helped out this time by Gail Ann Dorsey, long-time David Bowibassist and short-time Tears For Fearsband member, who contributes vocals to the track, somehow deeper and more time-worn than Berninger. The Devendorf brothers make up the warped backbone of the song, Bryan innovating unconventional patterns on the drums and bassist Scott foregoing the four strings altogether in exchange for a swelling sub-bass synthesizer.
What is there left to say about The Nationalthat hasn’t yet been said a dozen times over? For fans of The National, though, who doesn’t want to hear it again? In “Hairpin Turns,” the Dessner brothers meticulously craft one of their signature soundscapes, this time on piano and guitar, orchestrating the band to pull arrangements out from under the listener. “I try but I get overwhelmed / All wrapped up in cellophane, the feelings that we had.” The first single off her upcoming record feels like a gut-punch-it’s a song that leaves you, like twigs, gasping for oxygen, for a space to breathe again. “And I don’t want to have to share our love,” she sings in the song’s lone verse. In “Cellophane,” her first song in three years, twigs anguishes over flooding pressure from people who want to see her and her lover’s relationship crumble. FKA twigs is a heartbreaking example of this social paradox-her relationship with Robert Pattinsonwas, by all accounts, terrorized by hordes of online trolls who felt she wasn’t good enough for him. And if they are, you probably won’t hear about it online. No one, it seems, is happy with themselves, or anyone else. In a press release, Lloyd explains the feeling of limbo that the song highlights, “ is about considering a relationship from long ago-remembering how we were so in love, and that person was everything to us, only now when we think about that one time.was that moment them?” Or was it not?Įxistence in the current digital oligarchy-this era in which a faceless social collective constantly yells at us to fulfill myriad, shallow but ultimately meaningless expectations-has left us, collectively, overwhelmed. It’s also completely club-ready with Lloyd’s signature 808-inspired beats and vocal chops that keep a hypnotic groove while Gongol’s vocal is spotlighted for its lush sensuality. Complete with Samantha Gongol’s sultry, emotive vocal and Jeremy Lloyd’s minimalistic production, this song takes just the right amount of space to reflect upon a past relationship with its moodiness. Was what happened in the past really as it seems or, as Marian Hillappropriately titles their new single, “was it not”? The fiery, dark-pop duo, who have championed their brand of sparse, heavy-hitting production and indulgent songwriting continue to do what they do best on this new track.
The reality is that memories stay with you, but after a while, they tend to mix in with new moments and take on new shapes. There’s a difference between moving on and moving forward.