Sleep Well Beast

by The National

Overview

The National never seem in a hurry to reach their destination, but there's a sense of quiet urgency on Sleep Well Beast, their seventh album. Much of that momentum arrives in arrangements that generally tend to eschew the grayscale of its 2013 predecessor, Trouble Will Find Me, a record that felt sculpted so that each element was elegantly interlocked. Comparatively, Sleep Well Beast draws attention to itself through the occasional squall of noise ("The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness") and rushed tempo ("Turtleneck"), but also through an expanded sonic palette. Electronics are used for texture and shade, vocal harmonies glide through the mix, pianos anchor a couple of tunes -- all subtle gradients within the National's recognizable formula, but they're enough to give Sleep Well Beast a distinct character. Such a shift may not be startling, particularly since it takes a while for album opener "Nobody Else Will Be There" to fade into view, but by the time the murmuring title track evaporates, it's evident that Sleep Well Beast offers a journey with satisfying detours. This is a welcome departure (and perhaps necessary complement) to Trouble Will Find Me, which celebrated its finely manicured stillness. While Sleep Well Beast offers more than its fair share of hushed moments -- the National design their music to be lean-in listening, requiring an investment from their audience not only so that the lyrics can be deciphered, but so the subdued shifts in emphasis seem dynamic -- this familiar signature seems enhanced by the fact that these soft, slow songs are surrounded by cuts where the darkness opens up slightly but significantly. It's enough to make Sleep Well Beast feel like a dramatic departure in the close quarters of the National's discography. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine

Product Details

Release Date:	09/08/2017
Label:	4Ad
UPC:	0191400002029

Tracks

1. Nobody Else Will Be There
2. Day I Die
3. Walk It Back
4. The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness
5. Born to Beg
6. Turtleneck
7. Empire Line
8. I'll Still Destroy You
9. Guilty Party
10. Carin at the Liquor Store
11. Dark Side of the Gym
12. Sleep Well Beast

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The National   Primary Artist
Ella Jarrige   Cello
Emma Landarrabilco   Flute
Gregoire Dubruel   Basse
Juliette Salmona   Cello
Leslie Boulin Raulet   Violin
Louise Lapierre   Bassoon
Marc Desjardins   Violin
Matthias Piccin   Violin
Renaud Guy Rousseau   Clarinet
Sarah Chenaf   Viola
Thomas Garoche   Basse
Romain Bly   Horn
Bastien Nouri   Oboe
Barbara Le Liepvre   Cello
Ariadna Teyssier   Violin
Matt Berninger   Vocals
Jan St. Werner   Keyboards
Lisa Hannigan   Vocals
Nick Lloyd   Organ
Arone Dyer   Vocals
Thomas Bartlett   Keyboards
Andi Toma   Keyboards
Justin Vernon   Vocals,Synthesizer
Benjamin Lanz   Trombone,Synthesizer
Alex Ridha   Electronic Percussion
Carin Besser   Vocals
Jason Treuting   Drums,Percussion
Kyle Resnick   Vocals,Trumpet,Flugelhorn
David Chalmin   Drums,Orchestra
Benachir Boukhatem   Viola
Cedric Bonnet   Horn
Walter Martin   Organ,Vox Continental
Eric Beach   Drums,Percussion
Marine Gandon   Viola
Erwan Castex   Keyboards,Electronic Percussion
Domitille Gilon   Violin
Maaike Van Der Linde   Flute,Flute (Bass)
Pauline Hauswirth   Violin
Josh Kaufman   Guitar
Nikolai Spassov   Violin
Charlotte Juillard   Violin
Emilie Duch-Sauzeau   Violin
Katia Labeque   Piano

Technical Credits

Bryce Dessner   Orchestration,Drum Programming,Composer,Producer,Group Member
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Elyanna Blaser Gould   Design
Graham Macindoe   Photography
Aaron Dessner   Producer,Group Member,Drum Programming,Composer,Engineer
Luke Hayman   Design
Erlend Neumann   Design
Andrea Trabucco Campos   Design
Matt Berninger   Group Member,Composer,Producer
Jan St. Werner   Engineer,Processing
Peter Katis   Mixing,Producer,Additional Production
The National   Arranger,Composer
James McAlister   Drum Programming
Andi Toma   Engineer,Processing
Bryan Devendorf   Group Member,Drum Programming
Steve Fallone   Mastering
Jonathan Low   Mixing,Engineer
Carin Besser   Composer
Ryan Olson   Processing
David Chalmin   Engineer
Sean O'Brien   Vocal Engineer
Maaike Van Der Linde   Orchestration
Scott Devendorf   Group Member