scorcho said:
they're a thinking man's band. after all, it takes a lot of education to understand how a band mining the same well for three LPs can be so lauded by learned philosophers.
bands from the Beatles to Pavement progressed their sound more from album to album than the National have their entire careers.
I don't think you're listening closely enough; they didn't start their careers with Alligator, nor has their sound not progressed since that album.
From
to
was a huge step.
Then from
Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers to
Alligator was an even more monumental evolution, and the
Cherry Tree EP was the bridge for that change in a more serious and pensive direction.
Boxer was another evolution, and is probably the most sophisticated record they have ever released, with an air-tight percussion section, and a stronger focus on rhythm and hooks that grew on you with repeated listens.
High Violet has a more varied sound than
Boxer and features some of the band's most dense recordings.
If you think the band hasn't progressed, then I think you ought to try listening to their debut and their newest album, just to see how far along they've come.
Anyway, even if you consider their evolution to be a mild one, they're still an extremely consistent band that is refining what they're good at. Honestly, they could write another three albums like
Boxer and I would eat them up gladly. That's not likely to happen though, as the band has said that they will try going in a different direction with their next record.
