This is not a band that has matured — it’s a band that is mature. A quality often associated with boring has actually never sounded more vibrant and alive. The slow burn of Matt Berninger’s baritone, the tension he conveys with one-liners that sting and then stick, could easily be overlooked. But the gravity of these stories — overlaid with expansive, all-encompassing guitars, ever-present percussion and well-thought-out melodies — knocks you down like a bottle of bourbon. Highlights include the gradual build of “Humiliation,” a five-minute song that ends with a minute-long tangent so beautiful, so different from how it began, that it’s hard to imagine how The National laced it all together so neatly. The gentle freak-out of “Sea of Love” is a reminder that calculated refinement is not a curse, but a blessing.
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