Review: The National – First Two Pages of Frankenstein

Despite its star-studded roster, the National’s ninth album shines brightest on its guest-free tracks.

 

When the National released I Am Easy to Find four years ago, it was something of a giant refresh for a band on their eighth album. Markedly different from its predecessors, it had a cinematic feel (not only because it had an accompanying short film) with backing choirs, full orchestration, and a bevy of female guest singers who traded off vocal duties with the National’s Matt Berninger. Just when the National’s brand of “sad dad rock” was starting to feel a little mundane, I Am Easy to Find upended everyone’s expectations of the band. After such a grandiose production, could the National do it again?

The lead-up to the National’s ninth album First Two Pages of Frankenstein suggested that the band would be upping the ante, particularly on its guest roster. On I Am Easy to Find, you could be forgiven for not recognizing Gail Ann Dorsey, Eve Owens, Sharon Van Etten, Lisa Hannigan, Mina Tindle, or Kate Stables, all of whom shared vocal duties with Berninger. This time, though, there’s a much greater chance you’ve heard of Sufjan Stevens, Phoebe Bridgers, and Taylor Swift. First Two Pages of Frankenstein also puts these guest names front and center in the track titles, while the guests on I Am Easy to Find were buried in the liner notes or more realistically, its Wikipedia page.

But even though these big-league names generate a lot of hype, they’re only present on four of First Two Pages of Frankenstein’s 11 tracks, none of which are among its best. The opening track “Once Upon a Poolside” features indie rock titan Sufjan Stevens, who made stealthy appearances on three previous National albums. Surprisingly, his presence on this track is just as subtle, with just some backing vocals and chants among the incredibly gentle piano melody. You wouldn’t know Stevens was present without the explicitly written credit, and he feels underutilized on such a tranquil, delicate affair. Similarly, on Phoebe Bridgers’ two guest appearances – “This Isn’t Helping” and “Your Mind is Not Your Friend” – her voice is never untethered from Berninger’s, and you can barely tell she’s there.

Of all these primetime features, only Taylor Swift has some prominence. She trades verses with Berninger during the chorus of “The Alcott,” but her vocals are essentially the song’s only real draw. All four of these tracks are on the slower side, leaning heavily into the piano and orchestration, which shifts the focus onto Berninger’s singing and lyrics. Aside from the fact that the National are an extremely talented band, not just one person, the lyrics on these four tracks focus on the darker sides of interpersonal relationships and depression – subjects the band and even Berninger’s solo album have covered plenty of times before.

However, the best tracks on First Two Pages of Frankenstein are those without the big-name guests. While I anticipated the lyrics of “New Order T-Shirt” would be full of snark abouyt the average National fan’s wardrobe, it instead has Berninger delivering stream-of-consciousness style recollections of the good times with his wife. The band’s signature snare-heavy drumming melds well with an acoustic guitar melody, and it’s the rare National song that could almost be described as “feel-good.”

The single “Tropic Morning News” uses a drum machine to produce a beat similar to Radiohead’s “Idioteque,” and throws in a great (albeit brief) electric guitar solo halfway through. Its title alludes to the relatable practice of beginning your day with doomscrolling, an interesting new song topic for the band, and contrasts this against one of the most upbeat melodies on the album. I’ve always considered Bryan Devendorf’s drumming one of the band’s greatest assets, so I’m a little ambivalent on their usage of a drum machine, but I will say that it works here.

Other tracks bring back the National’s classic combination of brilliant instrumentals and perplexing – or frankly dumb – lyrics. “Eucalyptus” has very simple lyrics that revolve around a couple divvying up their belongings, with some predictable rhymes of “you should take it, I’m only gonna break it” and “if I miss it, I’ll visit.” That said, the band really nails the instrumentation here, with Devendorf’s drumming and the Dessner brothers’ piercing guitars both in fine form. “Alien” ends with some ferocious drumming and a few electric guitar riffs, but also has a peculiar chorus of “drop down out of the clouds you’re in, drop down like an alien.” This is nothing compared to the chorus of “Grease in Your Hair,” which brings us the nonsensical couplet of “Grease in your hair, fingernail polish, water balloon eyes, totally honest.” I have no idea what this means, but this track is also the most vivacious on the album, with all its components building in a crescendo throughout its runtime. So long as you’re able to tune out the offbeat lyrics or, alternatively, find some sort of hidden brilliance within them, all of these are really good songs.

If First Two Pages of Frankenstein were summarized within the National’s discography, it would obviously be “the one with the high-profile guests” to start, but could also be described as “the one where the National tone things down.” About half of the album, including the aforementioned guest tracks, move away from the band’s typical rock style and toward the lush orchestral sounds honed on I Am Easy to Find. The three-track run from “Ice Machines” to the especially mild final track “Send for Me” marks a quiet closing stretch that lacks any electric guitars, while still embracing drum machines. The National haven’t really sounded raucous since 2005’s Alligator, but First Two Pages of Frankenstein is  hardly what you’d expect to hear from them, even a few years ago. There’s enough on the album to revive your love for the National, guests or not, but it might make you realize that growing up sometimes means settling down.

Rating: 6.5/10