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The National - First Two Pages Of Frankenstein (Red Vinyl)
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Anchored
by
evocative
melodies
and
an
enthralling
lyrical
narrative,
First
Two
Pages
of
Frankenstein
signals
a
thrilling
new
chapter
in
the
band’s
beloved
discography.
The
11-song
album
was
produced
by
The
National
at
Long
Pond
Studios
in
upstate
New
York
and
features
guest
appearances
by
Taylor
Swift,
Phoebe
Bridgers
and
Sufjan
Stevens.
The
follow-up
to
2019’s
top
five
hit
album
I
Am
Easy
To
Find,
First
Two
Pages
of
Frankenstein
was
initially
stalled
while
lead
singer
Matt
Berninger
navigated
“a
very
dark
spot
where
I
couldn’t
come
up
with
lyrics
or
melodies
at
all,
and
that
period
lasted
for
over
a
year.
Even
though
we’d
always
been
anxious
and
argued
quite
a
lot
whenever
we
were
working
on
a
record,
this
was
the
first
time
it
ever
felt
like
maybe
things
really
had
come
to
an
end.”
Instead,
The
National
“managed
to
come
back
together
and
approach
everything
from
a
different
angle,
and
because
of
that
we
arrived
at
what
feels
like
a
new
era
for
the
band,”
according
to
guitarist/pianist
Bryce
Dessner,
whose
bandmates
also
include
his
brother
Aaron
(guitar/piano/bass)
as
well
as
brothers
Scott
Devendorf
(bass,
guitar)
and
Bryan
Devendorf
(drums).
First
Two
Pages
of
Frankenstein
channels
the
group’s
revitalized
chemistry
into
a
body
of
work
that
beautifully
balances
elegant
musicality
with
the
National’s
more
idiosyncratic
impulses.
Tracks
such
as
“Grease
in
Your
Hair”
and
“Ice
Machines”
were
road-tested
in
2022
before
they
were
recorded,
allowing
the
band
to
hone
the
material
in
real
time
(another
song,
“Weird
Goodbyes”
featuring
Bon
Iver’s
Justin
Vernon,
was
released
as
a
standalone
track
last
August).
“To
me
the
power
of
this
record
has
to
do
with
the
intentionality
and
structure
of
the
music
meeting
with
a
lot
of
accidental
magic,”
says
Aaron
Dessner.
Swift
duets
with
Berninger
on
the
luminous
“The
Alcott,”
continuing
her
recent
string
of
collaborations
with
members
of
The
National
on
her
chart-topping
albums
folklore
and
evermore
and
Aaron
Dessner’s
Big
Red
Machine
project.
The
song
finds
Berninger
and
Swift
inhabiting
the
roles
of
a
couple
attempting
to
resurrect
a
troubled
relationship,
forging
a
finely
drawn
story
nearly
novelistic
in
scope.
“It’s
about
two
people
with
a
long
history
returning
to
a
place
and
trying
to
relive
a
certain
moment
in
time,”
says
Berninger.
“It’s
got
the
feeling
of
a
last-ditch
effort
to
hold
onto
the
relationship,
but
there’s
a
hint
of
something
positive
where
you
can
see
the
beginnings
of
a
reconnection.”
Tracklisting
Once
Upon
A
Poolside
(feat.
Sufjan
Stevens)
Eucalyptus
New
Order
T-Shirt
This
Isn't
Helping
(feat.
Phoebe
Bridgers)
Tropic
Morning
News
Alien
The
Alcott
(feat.
Taylor
Swift)
Grease
In
Your
Hair
Ice
Machines
Your
Mind
Is
Not
Your
Friend
(feat.
Phoebe
Bridgers)
Send
For
Me
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