The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein

There was a feeling, apparently both inside and out, that The National may have run out of steam in the last five years. 2019's I Am Easy To Find, while possessing some real highs, was a spotty, inconsistent record which felt at times like a band spinning its wheels. Then – granted, partly due to a certain global pandemic – radio silence. Aaron Dessner went off to work with Bon Iver and Taylor Swift, the former appearing on standalone single Weird Goodbyes. For the first time, the future of The National seemed uncertain.

With the release of the New York-via-Cincinnati quintet's ninth full-length record, it has emerged those concerns were, in fact, founded in reality. According to interviews with frontman Matt Berninger, he suffered deep depression and writer's block in the intervening years since their last album, making him question his relationship with his band, his wife and everyone around him. Fortunately, Berninger has come out the other side reinvigorated in life, including being sober, and the results are displayed for all to see on First Two Pages of Frankenstein.

If anything, this record does such a job of capturing that muted feeling of a deep depressive episode that it becomes a bit difficult to listen to. The National are hardly known as a particularly "happy" band but always had a vivid playfulness on classic songs like Mr. November or Bloodbuzz Ohio that gave them a thrilling drive above their peers. That isn't to say this is a dull record, it's just more subtle than previous efforts and, if anything, one of their most consistent.

Ironically, the only song that stands out is their long-awaited collaboration with Taylor Swift on The Alcott – not because it's a bad song, it's gorgeous, but because it feels like a big ballad in amongst a much more considered collection of songs. Elsewhere, Sufjan Stevens revisits his occasional role as the band's pianist and composer on the heartbreaking opener Once Upon A Poolside. Phoebe Bridgers offers two vocal assistances, most notably on Your Mind Is Not Your Friend, and there are hints of the band's more dynamic past on Eucalyptus, Tropic Morning News and Grease In Your Hair. But on the whole, First Two Pages of Frankenstein is an excellent exploration into recovery from depression, passion and addiction and is one of the finest records The National have released in quite some time.

Listen to: Eucalyptus, Your Mind Is Not Your Friend, Grease In Your Hair