listening to this on npr. i realized on the system only dreams that there is such a fine line between matt hitting a higher note where he has to be loud and his paralyzing screaming that as a tendency to ruin songs for me. often he falls on the other side of that line. i hate screaming matt.

i had no idea that he had pretty crippling stage fright

I can't speak to the individual show (I'm avoiding this stuff till the studio album release), but I can't really imagine The National without that part of Matt's voice, particularly live. It's a big part of what offers the live aspect of the band such a different, more deranged feel than their records.

I get that digster, and I'm glad you enjoy the differences with the live show, but the reason it's different and "deranged" is simply because Matt is incapable of singing those parts "properly" in concert.

Definitely, and IMO, they turn that potential liability into something that helps the song. When they play a song like Graceless live, Matt may just not be able to jump the octave in the last chorus and sing it cleanly. But the way I find it comes across is that the relentless pressure of the song finally pops. For me, the band is really good at turning the feelings of anxiety and panic into something cathartic; they feel anthemic, but for entirely different reasons than that word usually applies, and I think the panic in those moments where Matt's voice "breaks" for lack of a better term have to do with that.

I'll Still Destroy You

yeah, i am really digging that one

I dunno why, but i really love the line

Spoiler: show

Quote:

This one's like your mother's arms when she was young and sunburned in the '80s

Well said. They really are such a talented band.