With their 2010 album High Violet , stardom finally found this Brooklyn five-piece, as the audience for their stately, downbeat anthems grew to stadium proportions. The National are now in danger of becoming a national treasure, but rather than retreat from the limelight they've embraced rock stardom with this confident, coherent set of new tunes. High Violet and its predecessor ( Boxer ) were the sounds of a band tentatively testing their ideas; Trouble Will Find Me is self-assured and – dare I say it – almost swaggering. Graceless, Heavenface and Fireproof begin in those familiar dark spaces before moving toward the light and breaking free in a rush of insistent hooks. I Should Live in Salt, Demons and Sea of Love add extra shades to their shadowy sounds. Matt Berninger's baritone is more commanding than ever, and the collaborators, including Sufjan Stevens and St Vincent, do their parts without grandstanding.
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Download tracks: Demons, Fireproof, Sea of Love