Trouble Will Find Me

by The National

Overview

Upon first spin, Trouble Will Find Me, the warm, wistful, and weary sixth long-player from the National, sounds a lot like 2010's warm, wistful, and weary High Violet, but where the former was built on a foundation of suburban despondency and casual, middle class self-destruction (and skillfully juggled melodrama and dark comedy), the latter feels mired in regret, seeking refuge in the arms of old friends and lost lovers, sounding for all the world like a single cube of ice lazily swirling about a recently drained tumbler of single malt scotch, a notion best intoned on early album standout "Demons," which casually announces "I am secretly in love with everyone I grew up with." Like nausea, nostalgia can arrive in waves, and Trouble Will Find Me's best moments -- the propulsive "Don't Swallow the Cap" and the one-two sucker punch of pre-set closers "Humiliation" and "Pink Rabbits" -- find Matt Berninger and his laconic baritone nervously pacing the deck of a sinking ship while simultaneously trying to find his sea legs as his bandmates constantly pull the rug out from under him with familiar rhythms and melodies that hide countless trap doors. However, it's that very familiarity that fuels the ire of many of the band's detractors, especially those who consider them to be a slightly creepier, American Coldplay, and while there is definitely an intangible, Mad Men-esque sense of unease that permeates Trouble Will Find Me, one could hardly use the words dangerous or forward-thinking when dissecting its myriad parts. That said, this is the band that performed a chilling rendition of the George R.R. Martin-penned "Rains of Castamere" over the closing credits of the season two finale of Game of Thrones. For better or for worse, they perfected their sound the last time around, so it's hard to fault them for sticking so close to the fire, especially on such a snowy night. ~ James Christopher Monger

Product Details

Release Date:	05/21/2013
Label:	4Ad
UPC:	0652637331516

Tracks

1. I Should Live in Salt
2. Demons
3. Don't Swallow the Cap
4. Fireproof
5. Sea of Love
6. Heavenfaced
7. This Is the Last Time
8. Graceless
9. Slipped
10. I Need My Girl
11. Humiliation
12. Pink Rabbits
13. Hard to Find

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The National   Primary Artist
Nico Muhly   Celeste,Strings
Caleb Burhans   Viola
Alan Ferber   Trombone
Owen Pallett   Strings
Rob Moose   Violin,Strings
Sufjan Stevens   Piano,Synthesizer,Drum Machine
Thomas Bartlett   Piano,Keyboards
Richard Reed Parry   Piano,Vocals,Double Bass,Guitar (Electric)
Tim Albright   Trombone
Brian Snow   Cello
Claire Bryant   Cello
Annie Clark   Vocals
Nona Marie Invie   Vocals
Kyle Resnick   Vocals,Trumpet
Alicia Lee   Clarinet (Bass)
Caroline Shaw   Violin
Hideaki Aomori   Clarinet,Clarinet (Bass)
Dave Nelson   Trombone
Nadia Sirota   Viola
Sharon Van Etten   Vocals
Padma Newsome   Viola,Violin,Strings
Alexandra Sopp   Flute
Jeremy Turner   Cello
Logan Coale   Double Bass
Yuki Numata   Violin
Beth Myers   Viola
Mike Atkinson   French Horn
Erwan Castex   Electronics
Bejamin Lanz   Trombone
Ben Russel   Violin

Technical Credits

Scott Devendorf   Group Member
Aaron Dessner   Producer,Group Member
Matt Berninger   Composer,Lyricist,Group Member
Bryce Dessner   Producer,Group Member,Orchestration
Craig Silvey   Mixing
Greg Calbi   Mastering
Doug Bennett   Artwork
Nico Muhly   Orchestration
Peter Katis   Mixing
The National   Composer
Marcus Paquin   Mixing,Engineer,Associate Producer
Bryan Devendorf   Group Member
Richard Reed Parry   Orchestration
Jonathan Low   Engineer
Benjamin Lanz   Brass Arrangement
Megan Craig   Artwork
Jeff Tyson   Artwork
Carin Besser   Composer,Lyricist
Greg Giorgio   Assistant Engineer
Jeff Salem   Artwork
John Horne   Mixing Assistant
Karl Jensen   Artwork
Clara Claus   Artwork
Bella Blasko   Assistant Engineer
Martyn Heyne   Engineer
Erwan Castex   Programming
Randall J. Lane   Artwork
Jessie Henson   Artwork
Justin Davis Anderson   Artwork
Jessica Dressner   Artwork
Nancy Berninger   Artwork
Charles Wilkin   Artwork
John Solimine   Artwork
Eduardo de la Paz Canel   Mixing Assistant
Lafont London   Design
Bohyun Yoon   Cover Art