Jackassalope

The National’s appeal is foreign to me

In my good friend Eric’s eternal quest to broaden my musical horizons, he emailed me a song called All the Wine by “The National.” This is his second attempt turn me onto this particular band, and as much as I want to like them, I just can’t get past the lead vocals. The lyrics are good, the music is engaging, but the lead singer’s voice is exhaustingly boring. The songs lack depth because he has no vocal range. The song’s natural progression begs for the singer to fluctuate and build with the music, but he remains stagnant throughout. And I’m not talking about adding any of that R&B ridiculousness; I would just like to see minimal changes in tone.

Despite “The National’s” potential, every song Eric sends my way seems to fall flat. Sorry Eric. This one’s a miss. Regardless, I’m still open to your musical suggestions.