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“When I walk into a room I do not light it up, fuck…so I stay down with my Demons,“ says Matt Berninger in the song “Demons,” the second track, and the first single off The National’s sixth album, Trouble Will Find Me.

Self-deprecating as usual, Berninger’s lyrics are sharp and he is at the top of his game. This album is pretty flawless from start to finish, in my opinion.

I started listening to The National after hearing Boxer based on a recommendation from Last.FM because I was listening to Iron and Wine. “Slow Show” was the track. I was a fan from that point on. I was less of a fan of High Violet initially but came around on that one after the anniversary edition came out. I prefer the deep cuts on that record as opposed to the singles. So, for me, that may have been the issue.

When Trouble Will Find Me was released I ordered it immediately. I also got tickets for the tour and was super excited because they were touring with Frightened Rabbit who I was a bigger fan of.

The show was amazing and it was a little dark out with some light rain. So, a perfect ambiance for the show. The National live show was what turned me from fan to superfan. During “Mr. November,” Matt Berninger ran into the crowd singing, which was completely amazing. One of the final songs was an acoustic version of “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.” Those two performances sealed the deal for me.

As far as the record it starts strong with “I Should Live On Salt.” A great chord progression and melody. There are continuously interesting ideas musically throughout this record.

The singles from the record were “Demons,” “Don’t Swallow The Cap,” “Graceless,” “Sea Of Love.” and “I Need My Girl,” but honestly, you could pull any track off of this record to be a single and it would make sense.

Some of my favorite tracks are “Pink Rabbits,” I Need My Girl,” “This Is The Last Time,” and “Graceless.” This album still is a regular spin for me after 8 years, and I doubt that will ever change.

There are also contributions from Sharon Van Etten, St. Vincent, and Sufjan Stevens on Trouble Will Find Me.

To Me, all albums by The National are great, but Trouble Will Find Me holds a special place in my heart. It solidified my fandom, and will always be special to me for that reason.

Please check out my video on Trouble Will Find Me, by The National below:

Dig this article? Check out the full archives of Surface Noise, by John Siden, here: https://vinylwritermusic.wordpress.com/surface-noise-archives/