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So last night on a long walk home I gave The National’s Boxer, which is #1 on like, everyone’s “best of 2007” list, a solid listen. I was in the right frame of mind to rightfully give it my full attention.

I have to say, I was a little underwhelmed.

What am I missing that everyone else saw so vividly?

Apart from the first two standout tracks - Fake Empire and Mistaken for Strangers, there isn’t much to grab onto. No meat. It’s very sameish. (As an aside, why are some songs [the better ones] $0.89 on Amazon.com, and others $0.99??)

Make no mistake - I think The National are terrific. I’ve seen them every time they’ve come to Toronto and I thought 2005’s Alligator was trumps. But this latest album is ‘critically acclaimed’ and I can’t see what all the fuss is about.

If you disagree, tell me why, eh?

Posted on Wednesday, January 9th, 2008 at 1:40 pm by Alison and is filed under Music & Videos.

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