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Very High Violet(Rating: 5)
I'm probably one of the many people whom has only recently discovered The National, but this album has blown me away on a number of levels - the high quality of the songwriting, the overall production and as another reviewer has said, the ability to 'tingle arms'.

'England' was the first track which I heard from this album. It's the reason I watched them at Glastonbury, but at no point was I expecting to come away from that afternoon set a converted fan. As it is, I rushed out to purchase the limited purple double-vinyl set and have since purchased it also on CD for the car.

The first time I listened to it, I still wasn't sure; the first 4 or 5 songs didn't grab me like I thought they would but then 'Bloodbuzz Ohio' kicks in and it all seems to start making sense. Tracks 7 to 10 are incredible. I still love 'England', with the almost-perfect line 'You must be somewhere in London, you must be loving your life in the rain'. 'Lemonworld' isn't a songtitle which would have you running for the 'play' button, but believe me when I tell you that it's an amazing track. It's the kind of song which makes me want to fly to America, hire a convertible and drive across from Florida to California, listening to this song on the CD player. 'Conversation 16' is similarly stunning - I simply love the line "Now we'll leave the silver city 'cause all the silver girls gave us black dreams".

If this album doesn't appear in countless "albums of the year" at the end of 2010, then something's seriously wrong. 2010 has surprised (and surpassed) my expectations. After serious disappointment earlier in the year from the likes of Ellie Goulding's and Marina & The Diamonds' albums, 2010 has seen some seriously good releases - the Domino State's debut album 'Uneasy Lies The Crown', Serena-Maneesh's 'Abyss In B Minor', Exit Calm's eponymous debut - and now this.

This album is a fantastic listen. Definitely Recommended.

Actually Delivers...(Rating: 5)
I was intrigued by some of the other reviews citing Arcade Fire and Elbow. The former of those two is a case of the Emperor has no clothes in my view and the latter I just find a tad dull. The big promise for both those bands really built up my expectations which were rather a let down when I actually heard the records concerned. I have up until now bunged 'The National' into the same bracket. I was wrong! This is an excellent record. Not only is there not a duff track on the whole album, the lyrics have some proper gravitas, dark humour and beauty. A bit of a Brendan Perry/Cohen/Walker thing but with more pop sensibilities. It's also a classic example of a band who have worked out that the length of a record has nothing to do with the quality! One of my favourites releases of this year so far.

Album of the year?(Rating: 5)
Matt Berninger's listless baritone delivers more sincere tales of broken hearts and bruised souls, euphoric highs and debilitating lows. Orchestral embellishments move over subtle, soft arrangements with lyrics that play like a film noir; aloof, cool, rich, engaging. There is a longing throughout driven by a sense of absence of someone or something. Sorrow feels like a nagging doubt, and itch that can't be scratched. Lemonworld flows over the listener like an enigmatic river of lemon curd. Conversation 16 shimmers over a fast ticking hi-hat. England is surely the ultimate long distance love song? Also features contributions from Arcade Fire and Bon Iver.

Beautiful and trilling(Rating: 5)
High Violet is a step up from the high standards already set by the National on Boxer & Alligator. It is a superb album full of beautiful songs, intriguing stories and trilling musicianship. There is no filler here - every song stands on its own and the five song run from Blood Buzz Ohio through to England is as strong as any sequence I've every hear. The album is a cohesive piece of work that deserves to be listened to all the way through. High Violet stands comparison to the best work of the rock era - comparable in quality to Imperial Bedroom (Elvis Costello) or Revolver. I read descriptions of the National as a downbeat, routine indie band. These are lazy criticisms from closed ears. High Violet is a fantastic album which should bring the National the global success they deserve.

Great album - very poor production(Rating: 3)
This is a great album, great melodies and lyrics. I bought it from amazon.co.uk and was terribly disapointed with the very low quality of production. I am no audio expert, all I can say is the album audio quality is very very low, most noticeable if you play it on a good Hi-Fi setup... don't know about the mp3 downloads.

I give 3 stars only because the music is fantastic, the CD doesn't worth the money, IMHO.