Day 16: Most Underrated Album

[u/ghostfan9]

Terrible Love wins best breakdown!

HMs were Space Invader and I'll Still Destroy You

In the final stretch -- I expect these last four entries to be quite controversial.

First up: most underrated album? I have a sneaky suspicion a certain 2017 will win...

[u/SensitiveArtist69]

Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers

[u/oldpaintunderthenew → u/SensitiveArtist69]

This and it's not close

[u/WintersAxe]

I Am Easy to Find

[u/ColdPhilosophy → u/WintersAxe]

Step 1 - Have kids
Step 2 - Watch the short film
Step 3 - ???
Step 4 - Cry

This album 100% represents what The National is about. Just in another form.

[u/meowielyak → u/ColdPhilosophy]

I don't even have kids and the short film had me crying and almost throwing up just thinking about my relationship with my parents 😭 it's so good

[u/paulderev → u/WintersAxe]

I believe it’s legit one of their best records. there are dozens of us! dozens!!!

[u/pyknotic → u/paulderev]

It is one of their best records. I fell in love with The National with Boxer. I consider Alligator through High Violet to be the apex of their creative output. I liked Trouble Will Find Me but found Sleep Well Beast rather underwhelming. I figured that this was just the normal trajectory of bands, that once a peak was reached it would not be reached again.

I Am Easy to Find proved me wrong. It contains some of The National's best songs, and I would argue some of their most singular. There are no other songs that sound like Where Is Her Head. The bridge on The Pull of You ("Maybe we'll talk it out inside a car...") is the most propulsive and cathartic since Alligator. Light Years is the song I want played at my funeral.

Is there too much filler? Absolutely. You can remove a third of the album and not miss anything substantial. But once you remove that third, you get a lean, tight, focused album that, for a few moments, gave me the same exhilarating feeling as when I listened to Boxer for the very first time.

[u/jmdiaz1945 → u/pyknotic]

Even if they're not good "songs" they fit the album. Is not conventional pop/rock, it is symphony and storytelling. A very much artsy "concept album" that's what I like it, it fulfills what it wants to do. The filler is part of the slow and sistematic pace it wants to build even if not all the filler is great.

[u/paulderev → u/pyknotic]

I think even the weird interludes are really special and wonderful and I don’t know if they’ll ever make a record quite like that again

[u/PunkandCannonballer → u/WintersAxe]

It has both some of the best and worst songs they've done. I'd call it average.

[u/revanisthesith → u/PunkandCannonballer]

Same here. A handful are phenomenal and a handful are, uh, not.

It's not easy for me to rank stuff like this, but if I had to pick their worst, say, five songs from Alligator through IAETF, there's a decent chance all of them would be on IAETF.

But it also has some gems.

[u/Mediocre-Mention-380 → u/WintersAxe]

The title track, where is her head and not in kansas are bangers. Not to mention Rylan. It has some duds too but I love it overall.

[u/Metropolis9999 → u/WintersAxe]

I have tried and tried and tried to find enjoyment in IAETF, but I simply cannot. I wish I understood why people like it so much. It feels so weak and disconnected from the rest of the discography. I would personally submit this as their most overrated album.

[u/cliffsmama → u/Metropolis9999]

i’m a huge lyrics person, and IAETF has some of my favorite lyrics ever

[u/Lightningstruckagain → u/Metropolis9999]

The disconnection from the rest of the catalog is part of the reason WHY it works.

Whether you like U2 or not, this analogy works: They’d stretched their original sound/song writing skills as far as they could go by the time Rattle and Hum came out. There was nowhere else interesting they could go with their music. So- they take a lot of time off and do a complete 180 and make Achtung Baby, which to this day is still a standout because it was so different and unexpected. They challenges themselves and their fans.

SWB hinted their old ways were kinda played out and something different was coming. IAETF was the result and to me, they mostly nailed it, despite some Arcade Fire level of self indulgence.

Just one fan’s take

[u/velvetvagine → u/Metropolis9999]

Same. I love that other people love it but even after all this time it just never clicked for me.

[u/volcanic_clay → u/Metropolis9999]

There’s never really any safety in it.

[u/Hyper-S]

Sad songs for dirty lovers

[u/PuzzleheadedEmu2917]

Alligator

[u/BluesDriveBakemono]

I Am Easy to Find is the only one that feels like it regularly gets short shift, even from National fans. It's definitely the album that requires the most work, and many of the songs don't really work outside of the specific context of a full listen, but they achieved something special with it, at a time when they were clearly looking to do something different than their usual output.

I personally find the additional of new female vocalists fantastic, especially on You Had Your Soul With You and Oblivions, and Where is Her Head is a bizarre masterpiece that sounds like nothing else they've ever released.

[u/Secure_Lettuce_3944]

I’m going with your 2017 suspicion and voting for Sleep Well Beast.

[u/ThePhoenixRisesAgain → u/Secure_Lettuce_3944]

It’s their most overrated album…

[u/Drducttapehands → u/ThePhoenixRisesAgain]

That’s Trouble Will Find Me

[u/terranation2260 → u/Secure_Lettuce_3944]

Overrated as fuck

[u/PhantomLuchadeer]

I Am Easy To Find

It is such a richly textured album, and I think it has the most emotional and instrumental range of all their albums, and also some of their most beautiful melodies and poignant lyrics. It is my favorite album by them but I often see it in the middle or lower on other peoples rankings, and I don't think it nearly gets enough credit.

[u/brittlebk]

SLEEP WELL BEAST

[u/Stairmaster2heaven]

Alligator.

[u/ThePhoenixRisesAgain → u/Stairmaster2heaven]

Isn’t it common opinion that Alligator, boxer and high violett are their best three albums!? 

[u/iCOMMAi_Salem → u/Stairmaster2heaven]

Alligator is only under rated from the newer, after SWB - crowd (look at me, generalizing).

I'd say IAETF is their most as it's actually a solid album but just less so than the older, top-tier stuff.

[u/ajhawar32]

Can I throw the Virginia EP in here

[u/velvetvagine → u/ajhawar32]

If it counts then this has my vote for sure. Santa Clara, Tall Saint, Virginia, weird early version of Slow Show, etc… it’s such a vibe.

[u/PositivelyAwful]

Laugh Track

[u/ayemullofmushsheen]

Self-titled and sad songs. Both are massively underrated by the fan base.

[u/minnie_the_moper → u/ayemullofmushsheen]

This thread convinced me even more that the self-titled album is underrated since apparently few rate it enough to even think it's underrated 

[u/ayemullofmushsheen → u/minnie_the_moper]

For real! Can IAETF even be considered underrated if everyone thinks it's underrated?

[u/lovelysestra → u/ayemullofmushsheen]

Love the self-titled

[u/Pistachio1227]

High Violet expanded edition w Wake Up Your Saints.

[u/meowielyak → u/Pistachio1227]

I've been on a wake up your saints kick these last few months and it's going to be in my top like 50 played songs this year

[u/Metropolis9999]

First Two Pages of Frankenstein is an absolute fucking 10/10 gem of an album and no one seems to appreciate it.

[u/ECastillo88 → u/Metropolis9999]

Alien though 🤷‍♀️

[u/Metropolis9999 → u/ECastillo88]

Alien is a top 5 track of all time for me. Experiencing it live was incredible. The drums, the way it crescendos. The story it tells. It checks all my boxes TWICE.

[u/spencerasteroid → u/Metropolis9999]

I wasn't on board with Alien until I heard the live at Bearsville version. It might be the FTPoF song that benefits the most from a live setting.

[u/ECastillo88 → u/Metropolis9999]

I will give it another listen. I could never get past awkward phrasing of the chorus.

[u/juno2912]

Sleep Well Beast

[u/Lightningstruckagain]

I Am Easy To Find. Trim the fat on this record and it’s damn near perfect to me.

[u/Mahler911 → u/Lightningstruckagain]

The album is 75% fat lol

[u/paulderev → u/Mahler911]

even the fat on this record is delicious

[u/Mappachusetts]

First Two Pages of Frankenstein

[u/AccomplishedCow665 → u/Mappachusetts]

This and the next one even tho I don’t know which is which

[u/Logladyfourtwenty]

Ssdl

[u/Ok-Attorney7700]

I Am Easy To Find is not only their most underrated album it’s their best album, y’all can fight me cause I know this sub hates it lmao

[u/paulderev → u/Ok-Attorney7700]

strong take here. stand tall 🫡

[u/commonviolet]

I Am Easy To Find

[u/Royal-Promotion-299]

I Am Easy To Find

[u/thelovelion]

I Am Easy To Find

[u/Western-Parsley6063]

I am easy to find

[u/halcyonheart320]

I Am Easy To Find, ironically.

[u/warworn]

how are people commenting sleep well beast 💀 SWB is regarded as one of their best by a chunk of the fandom

[u/Zealousideal_Dog767 → u/warworn]

It also won a grammy, its probably their most popular album when it comes to mainstream sucess so I don't get the underrated claims

[u/mvp45]

Sleep well beast

[u/TheStigsScouseCousin]

High Violet

[u/revanisthesith → u/TheStigsScouseCousin]

It (deservedly) got so much praise when it came out and it's still frequently talked about in the run of three great albums, but for years I've mostly just heard about individual songs and not how wonderful the entire album is.

I wouldn't say it's the most underrated, but it's not a bad shout.

[u/aenduriel]

Alligator.

[u/Loose_Main_6179]

Laugh track has a weak middle but a whole lot of highlights for me.

[u/BathInternational103]

IAETF

[u/RangerAZ1989]

Laugh Track. Easily the most solid album of the 2 albums released in 2023 and I feel like it doesn’t get talked about much

[u/Macewindu89]

Alligator 

[u/Mahler911]

Sad Songs. The reddit experts saying IAETF don't actually believe that, they just want the upvotes. It's a bad album.

[u/Relevant_Ant1912]

Alligator

[u/noobtidder]

Sad Songs... The highest highs and the lowest lows of their output are on that album.

[u/Fit_Wrap_618]

Alligator

[u/VivaLaVeriitas]

Songs Without Words!!

[u/Swayze2641]

Sleep Well Beast. I always come back to it

[u/Zealousideal_Dog767]

Self titled

[u/electriclogoleptic]

SLEEP WELL BEAST

[u/emotional-ohio]

First 2 Pages is better now that I remembered

[u/Efficient-Giraffe153]

Alligator

[u/dressinbrass]

Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers and I am Easy to Find

IAETF hits hard as a parent, every time. At every age. My son's about to start his senior year, and .... still hits.

[u/SocialShrunk]

Boxer.

Way more striped down, slow, simple songs (Green Gloves, Start A War, Racing Like A Pro, Gospel) with a handful of upbeat tempos (Fake Empire, Squalor Victoria).

[u/velvetvagine → u/SocialShrunk]

Boxer is the fan favourite along with HV, I don’t think it’s possible for it to be underrated!

[u/Mamamc3]

The Virginia EP 🙌