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Boxer
 
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Boxer

The NationalMP3 Music
4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (90 customer reviews)

Price: $9.49
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  • Original Release Date: May 22, 2007
  • Format - Music: MP3
  • Compatible with MP3 Players (including with iPod®), iTunes, Windows Media Player
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Play   2. Mistaken For Strangers 3:31 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   3. Brainy 3:18 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   4. Squalor Victoria 2:59 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   5. Green Gloves 3:39 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   6. Slow Show 4:08 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   7. Apartment Story 3:32 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   8. Start A War 3:16 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play   9. Guest Room 3:18 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play 10. Racing Like A Pro 3:24 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play 11. Ada 4:03 $0.99  Buy MP3 
Play 12. Gospel 4:29 $0.99  Buy MP3 
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Customer Reviews

One of the best albums I've heard in a while. Nathan Beauchamp  |  22 reviewers made a similar statement
I've listened to it through and through a dozen or so times and it's still the same way. C. A. Funkhouser  |  15 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
101 of 107 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended May 22, 2007
Format:Audio CD
The first thing you'll notice about this album is how slow it is. Only two songs, "Mistaken for Strangers" and "Apartment Story", rock in any kind of recognizable way. Others like "Racing Like a Pro" and "Ada" barely resemble rock music at all. The band's previous album, Alligator, was full of big rock songs and topped many critics and bloggers best of 2005 lists. This has largely been abandoned on the follow-up Boxer, a series of dark, mellow tracks, populated with low baritone vocals, horns, strings, pianos, etc.

If you've followed the band's previous work, you may be slightly disappointed by the lack of screaming or upbeat rock songs. There's nothing like "Slipping Husband", "Available", "Abel" or "Mr. November" to be found on here. What's left is a great mellow record that sounds like a continuation of the band's Cherry Tree EP from 2004. Highlights include "Brainy", "Slow Show", "Ada" and "Gospel". Give this record a little bit of time to grow on you. It was just released today, but I've been listening to a leaked copy for about two months (I bought an official copy today).

This band was originally labeled as alt-country, but has now become darker and more artsy than YHF-era Wilco. Each album has been an interesting change of pace and atmosphere. Check out their previous albums The National (2001), Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003), Cherry Tree Ep (2004) and Alligator (2005). I highly recommend them all, including this one. This is one of the best American bands making music today.
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85 of 94 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
When did rock music get so beautiful again? Yeah, It had something to do with folks getting sick of garage rock (White Stripes aside) and critics never forgetting the heartbroken punk of Joy Division. But it also came from the alt country invasion of the 1990s, the dawning of Wilco World and the success of such over-played buggers as U2 and Coldplay.

But really, the fusion of rock and, gosh darn it, gorgeousness, has gotten pretty pervasive of late, with dudes like Andrew Bird and groups like our dear, overhyped Arcade Fire. But I'd argue that the masters of the Rock Can Be Pretty Without Being Awful movement are Brooklyn outsiders the National. If you like moody, wry rock, I dare you not to fall in love with this record. It trumps Wilco, and it makes Interpol look chilly and terribly detached from the real world.

I came to The National's game, like so many people, with 2004's "Alligator". (Buy it now, really.)

And I love these guys when they rock, like they do on that album, and which they don't do that much of here. But the Nats do show perhaps a stronger, trickier skill on "Boxer:" the ability to musically experiment without coming off like a band at war (hi Jeff Tweedy!), the ability to fuse rock and folk without sounding like wusses, the jujitsu to channel a mournful-yet-upbeat sound that somehow brings to mind a 30something everyman. (In songs like the stalkerish "Brainy," you're unsure if you should hug lead singer Matt Berninger or issue a restraining order against him.)

"Mistaken for Strangers" is "Boxer"'s showiest number. A jangly, dual guitar-driven anthem about being out of touch with your peeps, it manages to be both danceable and a bit depressing, which is part of the band's appeal.

But not surpisingly, it's the slower numbers on this CD that wedge themselves in your brain. Take "Ada," a dark, hypnotic trope about a demanding woman, or "Slow Show,' a song of wished-for domestic tranquilty that'd make anyone want to hurry home to Berninger. Drums spiral in and out of time signatures, Berningers sleepy-yet-sexy baritone slings ironic lyrics of relationships gone wrong and right, and all seems both right and terribly sad with the world.
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28 of 29 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than Alligator? May 23, 2007
Format:Audio CD
This is the most subdued and interesting record from The National yet, and I firmly believe it will garner them wider attention and praise. This may not be a positive thing for a band that seems to thrive on being "the best thing you've never heard," but after two stellar albums back-to-back, they deserve it.

Boxer is a great example of style and substance combined, and it's likable on so many different levels that it's difficult to cover all the bases even after 5 or 6 attentive listens. Matt Berenger is a flexible and fascinating lyricist, moving from personal introspection to political commentary to clever, silly wordplay, sometimes all in one song. In a genre of music where music is written in a very formulaic way, with just the right balance of malaise and heartbreak, Berenger's deep baritone exudes authenticity.

Immediately you will notice that there is no point of release on Boxer--what Mr. November was to Alligator, or Slipping Husband to Sad Songs. Drummer Bryan Devendorf is just as high in the mix as usual, and his complex rhythms and subtlety (see: Brainy) are striking. The album maintains a tense balance of tension and beauty that reveals itself to you over time.

At first I was highly suspicious of claims that The National writes "albums that grow on you." It seemed like music journalists were just trying to cover themselves for completely missing the boat on Alligator the first time around (and they're still using it as an excuse, instead of saying "we messed up"). But there is definitely some truth to it. The band throws away their catchiest tunes, because "it's the odd ducks that stick with us." There's very few familiar themes to latch on to, and The National is a band that requires patience and trust.

Boxer is breathtaking, beautiful, and an impressive experiment of sorts: that this band can change their sound, and go in an orchestral direction, while still producing something relevant.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Love this album
I heard both The National and Band of Horses on Austin City Limits one night. Love all of the albums so far!
Published 1 month ago by Kimberly J Smith
1.0 out of 5 stars NOT COLORED VINYL!
Variant collectors beware. This record is black, not yellow. I wanted to give Amazon the benefit of the doubt and trust their item description but it is wrong. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jared A. Jaramillo
5.0 out of 5 stars Quality Album
I don't know much about this, but got it for my brothers birthday and he loved it, so it must be a quality album.
Published 4 months ago by Patrick
3.0 out of 5 stars The Boxer vinyl
This record arrived earlier than the deadline. I was very pleased with the early arrival and how it was packaged. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Kyle M. Swenson
5.0 out of 5 stars For me, it's _that_ album...
With most things we use or consume, there is a dependable thing. Something trusted and comforting for creatures of habit. Read more
Published 5 months ago by James Firth
4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!
I dragged my feet for a while before finally picking this record up. I have yet to be disappointed. Enjoy!
Published 7 months ago by Aaron Michael Green
3.0 out of 5 stars pleasurable
Boxer is one of those albums that's perfect for background music, and every so often you'll hum some of the vocal melodies, but the album overall is honestly not NEARLY as... Read more
Published 15 months ago by B. E Jackson
5.0 out of 5 stars Great folk album
If you like folk music, buy this album. You will not be disappointed. Some may say it is slow. Some may say it doesn't rock. Read more
Published 17 months ago by John Baker
5.0 out of 5 stars Muhammad Ali
This album is awesome. If I left you with that it would be enough. This band has such a cool sound. There is almost complexity found in the simplicity of it. Read more
Published 21 months ago by S. Ayres
4.0 out of 5 stars Good CD
This is a good cd, it is fun and enjoyable to listen to. The best songs on this cd are

Tracks

2. Mistaken For Strangers
6. Slow Show
11. Ada
Published 23 months ago by David A. Smith
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