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CRITIC REVIEWS
90
There’s so much despair and lonesomeness and erosion articulated through various depictions of interpersonal and self-destruction on Laugh Track that an old line like “I’m put together, but beautifully” has never felt more apocryphal.
90
Mourning an uncertain period in the band and liberating themselves from the inhibitions that once held them back, The National are closer than ever, the type of closeness that allows individual growth, and this organic coming together is reflected in the collection of songs on ‘Laugh Track.’
80
The existential conundrums of a cast of sad-sack characters – including a shattering Phoebe Bridgers collaboration – build up in dread and anxiety toward an intense, teeth-baring pay off.
80
Album will be thrill for fans whose tastes veer towards fervid dynamics of old.
80
It's hard to say exactly what's different here, since the 12 songs that make up Laugh Track apparently come from the same sessions as Frankenstein — but where the earlier album sounded meek, the follow-up feels like the National easily sinking into what they do best.
80
After several high-profile collaborations with the likes of Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran, it sounds like the American quintet is starting to come back to life.
80
A laugh track might be a cheap way of making something or someone seem more impressive than they actually are, but this album is the total opposite – a clear and consistent exercise in true class from a band who clearly haven’t lost a step, they just took a few stray ones.
80
Matt Berninger ropes in old friends Bon Iver and Phoebe Bridgers for bullish surprise album.
80
The band follow up April’s ‘First Two Pages of Frankenstein’ with a surprise companion record that’s louder, more immediate and rawer than its predecessor.
70
It's not a surprise that Laugh Track often sounds like a continuation of Frankenstein, tilling the same meditative ground and generating similarly nuanced results.
69
Berninger is fair to want songs that won’t rend him asunder to sing night after night, but is it wrong to hope for something more engaging than just “beautiful?”
13h
69
Many artists face this juncture: what was seminal tilts toward repetitiveness. The radical becomes cliché. The signature devolves into the formulaic. Hopefully, going forward, The National can plumb fresh territory, propelled by urgency and an ache to reinvent themselves.
68
The National’s second album of 2023 extends its predecessor’s subdued mood and reclusive purview.
65
Now, in an attempt to avoid the pigeonhole they seem to believe they created with that album, they’ve emerged with two records in six months, the latest one is very different from the exciting directions they’ve gone previously.
54
What once resonated as a stirring reaction to the most oppressive subtleties of white-collar gloom and marital anxieties now just scans like a token complement to your sertraline prescription; no-one likes watching a legacy turn into a commodity.
My childhood pet dog had a stroke but she rallied for about another six months and you could take her on a walk again, a last hurrah, a chance to say goodbye to an enfeebled version of an old friend who you knew still didn’t have long.
The National are another favourite pet, now looking long in the tooth, and they too had a collective stroke earlier in the year and have seemingly bounced back to around 50% strength here - but the next stroke will finish them and you know it isn’t ... read more
Paul scares the shit out of me. Also, Laugh Tracks by Knocked Loose reference?
The Rational Nationals are back with a second project in the same year, and luckily this one is much better!
I didn't hate the last project, it was rather OK, but definitely underwhelming. Laugh Track immediately starts off stronger than what any of the last project had to offer, Alphabet City kicks off things very well. And other than that, you get your classic National sound, the deprived talk-y vocals and sad ... read more
Much like its predecessor, this surprise second LP for 2023 by The National is a nice collection of tracks but does little to explore new ground, staying too stagnant in places where there should be more excitement.
I really hoped for a considerable improvement over “First Two Pages of Frankenstein” when this was announced because that release was honestly a bit disappointing. I thought it was fine, but it felt really slow and the tracks didn’t really seem to take off into ... read more
I don't love the electronic drums and sleepy vocals and the instrumentation is fairly one note. The lyrics are somewhat cringy but have their moments. It's just alright.
ELIOTY'S AN ALBUM A DAY - DAY 263 OF 365
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I don't know why this doesn't click.
The National is a band I *still* don't know much about. I first realized they existed when browsing this website - particularly by checking out the "indie rock" tag, what can I say, i'm a sucker for this genre - and I quickly realized they were one of the most praised indie rock / chamber pop acts of the 00s and 10s, having - count 'em, 5 must hears in a ROW from 2005 to ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Alphabet City 3:44 | 81 |
| 2 | Deep End (Paul's in Pieces) 4:29 | 81 |
| 3 | Weird Goodbyes 5:03 feat. Bon Iver | 77 |
| 4 | Turn off the House 4:35 | 82 |
| 5 | Dreaming 3:47 | 72 |
| 6 | Laugh Track 4:24 feat. Phoebe Bridgers | 75 |
| 7 | Space Invader 6:58 | 88 |
| 8 | Hornets 4:35 | 75 |
| 9 | Coat on a Hook 4:58 | 71 |
| 10 | Tour Manager 4:27 | 71 |
| 11 | Crumble 4:35 feat. Rosanne Cash | 78 |
| 12 | Smoke Detector 7:47 | 85 |
Total Length: 59 minutes
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Added on: September 15, 2023