2023: Catchgroove’s Year Of The National

Last year was the year of the Drive-By Truckers for me. I wasn’t a fan and did a crash course in their catalog in anticipation of a live show and became a fan (and deepened my appreciation of Jason Isbell).

My engagement with The National is a little different. I first became hooked on 2019’s I Am Easy to Find. Then, got hooked on folklore/evermore Taylor Swift which had a strong The National vibe via Aaron Dessner’s involvement in the Swift album. I tried to enjoy The National back catalog – especially the critically acclaimed stuff, but it did not resonate with me. Then this year First Two Pages Of Frankenstein came out and I absolutely loved it. This is an album that’s going to be on my best of 2023 list. Again, I went back to the back catalog and nothing resonated with me like Frankenstein.

I had the opportunity to see the band live in Minneapolis in August and they were everything I hoped. This was going to be one of my bands! Then about a month later Laugh Track was unceremoniously released and it blew me away – it sounded as good if not better than Frankenstein. Laugh Track had the same vibe as Frankenstein and was clearly produced from the same sessions. It was not leftover material, but quality material that could stand on its own. That being said I think of the two albums as one piece of art.

I wonder how many new fans The National has earned between these great albums and association with Taylor Swift? “The Critics” consensus is that The National has become boring dad rock and that their masterpiece era is behind them. But I am just the opposite – I am a late period guy starting with I Am Easy to Find and the two 2023 albums.

So what is it that I like about Frankenstein and Laugh Track? The primary thing I like is the dreamy atmospheric arrangements of the music. Matt Berninger’s gorgeous baritone has been a constant for The National, but it is particularly effective in this soundscape. I love the wonderfully melancholy music and lyrics of Frankenstein and Laugh Track. The Google definition (powered by Oxford Languages) is “a feeling of pensive sadness, typically with no obvious cause.” For me, melancholy is an enjoyable sadness – not depression, but a gentle sadness that is somehow comfortable – like a warmed blanket.

The two albums have some brilliant features. Those features are not mere spice, but essential ingredients. On Frankenstein:

• Opens with “Once Upon a Poolside” featuring Sufjan Stevens
• “This Isn’t Helping” featuring Phoebe Bridgers (who by the way is having one hell of a year with boygenius) who has worked with The National and Berninger before
• “The Alocott” featuring Taylor Swift that could easily have appeared on folklore/evermore

On Laugh Track:

• Long time The National buddy Justin Vernon (Bon Iver) appears on “Weird Goodbyes”
• “Laugh Track” is another appearance of Phoebe Bridgers (
• But the most amazing collaboration for me is “Crumble” with Rosanne Cash whose voice is the perfect pairing with The National – Rosanne’s husband and primary musical collaborator John Leventhal assists with the production of the song

The band throws some curve balls too. On Laugh Track for instance the album ends with “Smoke Detector” which could be a Trans era Neil Young & Crazy Horse track. It is noisy and punky, yet does not contradict the overall vibe of the album.

I love it when a band continues to produce quality material nearly 25 years into their career. The National is standing the test of time. I am going to continue to marinate in Frankenstein and Laugh Track and once I feel ready, will go back to the catalog to see what I missed the first time I tried those albums. But it doesn’t matter. If all I am is crazy about is Frankenstein and Laugh Track, I will consider myself a The National fan.