Lots of songs on this record about sleep and dreaming. The thematic unity really hit me on even just the first listen through. Gonna try to relisten as much as possible over the weekend.

I can't stay and I can't come back / I'll just keep awake / And I won't react

The system only dreams in total darkness / Why are you hiding from me?

You've been sleeping for miles / So what did you see?

always up at 5am every morning / Like a baby

You're sleeping night and day, how'd you do it? / Me I am wide awake, feeling defeated

I have dreams of anonymous castrati / Singing to us from the trees
I have dreams of a first man and a first lady / Singing to us from the sea

Go back to sleep, let me drive, let me think, let me figure it out

The National is about to be on the Colbert show. Probably about 10 minutes from now.

so i confess, while national albums are sometimes "growers" or "slow burners," this one's a little difficult for me to get into. the songs are pretty decent on their own. but as an album, they're all kind of sleepy. i'm pretty bored by turtleneck. i'm sure the more i listen to it, the more i'll appreciate it. but i can tell it won't end up ranking among the last 4 national albums for me.

I already like this more than Trouble Will Find Me. I'm not sure if I'll like it better than the 3 albums that precede it but I definitely love what they did with this one.

I feel like I need to listen to their albums about 10-15 times before having any sort of opinion on it.

I agree w/ all of this.

the songs are pretty decent on their own. but as an album, they're all kind of sleepy.

Lots of songs on this record about sleep and dreaming. The thematic unity really hit me on even just the first listen through. Gonna try to relisten as much as possible over the weekend.

Guys, Trouble Will Find Me is amazing.