Boxer - The National

Boxer

The National
Beggars Banquet Records.

SCQ Rating: 87%

The first time I heard Alligator, I knew I was hearing something special. It was that rare first listen, causing your heart to flutter with the knowledge that you’ve found a new obsession, I worried this NY five-piece could never replicate or rehash. The album was largely a sleeper-hit; a word-of-mouth record that traveled through crowds who bought the Clap Your Hands Say Yeah / National split ticket to hear Clap Your Hands but left with copies of Alligator under their arms. Between that near-breakout year of 2005 and spring of 2007, the band had effortlessly amassed a wave of anticipation; another factor I believed might sully my first-listen of Boxer. I listened thoroughly and enjoyed it, although nothing struck me breathless like the lyrical curves thrown in ‘Karen’, or stuck in my head like the repeated melancholy of ‘City Middle’.

What I hadn’t realized yet (and what Boxer proves) is that The National don’t jump head-first into anything. Like that successful tour that slowly unveiled their talents or their last record that progressively edged out its indie-rock competition, Boxer is a rhythmic and melodic rope-a-dope, the kind of record that takes round after round of listening to fully unravel before you realize it’s breaking your heart. Although Berninger’s lyrics remain cutting when uttered through his deep baritone, Boxer thrives because of its expertly crafted musicianship. These twelve remarkable songs are played with such percussive vigor that it’s easy to forget how slow they actually are. While Berninger croons leisurely in ‘Brainy’, ‘Squalor Victoria’, or nearly any track here, the rhythm section is playing at twice the speed. That these songs are deceptively performed at several speeds is an exciting aspect to uncover, as you can dance or wallow to the same song with equal intensity, but what I find of greater significance is that no modern rock band has so subtly accomplished this level of songcraft since Joy Division. For a band like The National to warrant such prestigious comparisons without sacrificing their sound or image (both best described as unassuming) is respectable, regardless of what music circle one clings to.

This black and white record with the yellow font is tightly linked to their last (albeit with green font); both can linger in the bottle-empty balladry or announce itself with some intense guitar-rock. The acoustic ‘Green Gloves’ is one of their most rewarding songs while ‘Mistaken For Strangers’ is blatantly menacing in the best possible way. Boxer never screams out like ‘Abel’ or ‘Mr. November’ but that’s part of its allure; it’s a devastating effort that works best when your guard is down.