The Denver Post
Capsule reviews of recent CD Releases
– The National, ‘High Violet,’ (4AD)
The decidedly dour, restrained “High Violet” – this Brooklyn band’s fifth and most polished full-length – has been virtually inescapable in music circles the past couple of months, and now the mainstream is starting to catch on, with the disc debuting at No. 3 on the Billboard 200.
That’s a big step forward for an indie rock band usually associated with sad, dark lyrics and a sound that inspires ridiculous critical appraisals like “Leonard Cohen-meets-Guided by Voices” (yep, my own words).