Matt Berninger – Unsung Sundays https://unsungsundays.com What you should be listening to. Sun, 17 Apr 2016 04:10:05 +0000 en-CA hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.2.1 EL VY: Return To The Moon https://unsungsundays.com/album-reviews/el-vy-return-to-the-moon/ Sun, 01 Nov 2015 13:06:28 +0000 http://unsungsundays.com/?post_type=album_reviews&p=165 EL VY is a significant departure for both Matt Berninger and Brent Knopf, but it allows them to work, without the pressure of their more popular acts, at writing quirky indie rock songs. Return To The Moon benefits because of Berninger's trademarked voice, which gives it a lot of necessary bottom end, but the instrumentation is a wonky — and welcome — break from the norm.

The post EL VY: Return To The Moon appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

]]> You might not have heard of EL VY (yet), but you’ve almost certainly heard of The National. EL VY is the latest record from Matt Berninger, The National’s singer. He teams up with Brent Knopf (of Menomena) for the record, and things might not be what you expect.

For one, Berninger sounds like he’s actually in a good mood (most of the time). Or at least he’s not in the pit of despair. And the music reflects this. And unlike his baritone, Leonard Cohen-like voice might suggest, *this totally freaking works*. Actually, *Return to the Moon* might be the most surprisingly good record I’ve heard all year. This is some great stuff.

If it has a flaw, it’s that Berninger and Knopf let their foot off the gas a bit about midway through and Berninger sticks his head in the bin of sorrow again. Not to deride whatever he’s going through — I don’t mean it that way — but the rest of *Moon* is so delightfully subversive that sounding even a little bit like The National later on is like taking a few steps back from your own joke. No matter how funny it was, it makes it seem like an accident.

And I’m really hoping *Return to the Moon* isn’t an accident — especially not its glorious oh-my-gosh-what-wonderfulness-am-I-listening-to first half. Because I want more music like this in my world.

The post EL VY: Return To The Moon appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

]]> The National: Trouble Will Find Me https://unsungsundays.com/album-reviews/national-trouble-will-find/ Sun, 09 Jun 2013 12:06:38 +0000 http://unsungsundays.com/?post_type=album_reviews&p=767 Trouble Will Find Me feels like The National reaching the pinnacle of their sound with a nearly perfect album that’s as morose and captivating as the band themselves.

The post The National: Trouble Will Find Me appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

]]> Everything The National has ever released is fantastic, but Trouble Will Find Me is possibly their best album yet. It’s like staring into the soul of a depressed man going through incredibly difficult life changes. I mean this is the best way possible, but if you’ve never heard them, The National perfectly captures the feeling of being so depressed that you want to stick your head in the oven and turn on the gas.

With Trouble Will Find Me, it really feels as if The National has taken this sound to its natural conclusion. It’s uncomfortably dark, which isn’t unusual for The National, but this is relentless, with nary a moment of joy to be found. What can come next? It feels as if The National has recorded their OK Computer, a record that pushes a certain style to the brink. Trouble Will Find Me’s biggest question isn’t about whether or not the album is any good — it’s probably the band’s best yet — but it does make me wonder what comes next for the band. (What will be their Kid A?)

The lead single, Demons, is an appropriately titled piece of melancholy. There are some numbers, like Sea of Love, that are different than anything they’ve done before. Not to mention that songs like Graceless are great live. You really owe it to yourself to check this record out.

The post The National: Trouble Will Find Me appeared first on Unsung Sundays.

]]>