High Violet

Release Date: May 10, 2010

The National's High Violet (2010) builds towering walls of guitar and strings around Matt Berninger's baritone confessions about anxiety, relationships, and middle-aged uncertainty. The band creates expansive indie rock that feels both intimate and cinematic, with intricate arrangements that reward close listening.

Standout Tracks

• Bloodbuzz Ohio: The hypnotic centerpiece with its insistent rhythm and nostalgic lyrics about returning home
• Terrible Love: Opens the album with churning guitars and Berninger's trademark neurotic intensity
• England: The sprawling closer that builds from whispered vocals to orchestral grandeur

Mood: melancholic, introspective, late night, brooding

Tracklist

1. 1. Terrible Love (4:39)
2. 2. Sorrow (3:25)
3. 3. Anyone's Ghost (2:54)
4. 4. Little Faith (4:36)
5. 5. Afraid Of Everyone (4:19)
6. 6. Bloodbuzz Ohio (4:35)
7. 7. Lemonworld (3:23)
8. 8. Runaway (5:33)
9. 9. Conversation 16 (4:18)
10. 10. England (5:40)
11. 11. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (4:12)