The National's "High Violet"- Best Album of the Year

You heard it here first. This is my early pick for best album of the year, and while it's certainly too early to call, might just end up being one of the best of the decade.

Yeah, it's that good. This is as close to a perfect album as I've heard in a long, long time. It's not just about one standout song (though there are a few of those) and it's not about trying things that may or may not work. The entire record is a statement, a world that the National has built for us to live in. And I don't ever want to leave.

This band showed alot of promise with their last effort, 2007's incredibly solid 'The Boxer' and even 'Alligator' and the tragically under-rated 'Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers' before that. Both records set out what The National were all about- Matt Berninger's deep barritone singing sad and disorienting lyrics that meshed perfectly with twin (literally, they're twins) guitarists with a nack for sonic gravy and a rhythm section that can rival any other in rock today. And yeah, the rhythm section are twins, as well. Something about brotherly love that just can't be fucked with.

But this new thing just makes those look silly. They've taken that sound and make it bigger and more beautiful, filling out most tracks with horn and string arrangments that compliment the swelling tunes in a way that most bands only dreaming of having on their records. While there are comparisons that can be easily made to other things, they're truly created a sound that is distinctly their own. And it's amazing.

This is an album that seems to sum up our generation- disconnected, confused, lonely, and ill-equipped to deal with the real world. Songs like 'Afraid of Everyone' lay out some of the most chilling summations of the norm of dealing with things, the chorus going 'I don't have the drugs to sort, I don't have the drugs to sort it out'. Or 'Sorrow', with an opening of hi-hat and acoustic guitar that leads to opening line 'sorrow found me when I was young/sorrow waited sorrow won/sorrow they put me on the pill...'. It's the probably the most true thing I've heard a rock singer admit in a long time, and the lyrics just keep it coming from start to finish.

'Bloodbuzz Ohio' is perhaps the most majestic rock song in recent memory and it if it doesn't give you chills then you probably don't have a pulse. The chorus is another ridiculous example of how good this band is 'I still owe money, to the money, to the money I owe. I never thought about love when I thought about home.....' Damn I mean, just damn.

Opening track 'Terrible Love' has a mix of everything that makes good music, and the quality never drops after that start. It's chilling from start to finish, and every single tune is a well-crafted gem. These guys obviously work their asses off, because it doesn't sound easy.

And that might just be the appeal. It shouldn't be easy. This is music about struggle and you can hear the anguish in every line. But unlike so many bands, it doesn't dwell on it. It's music about being sad and lost, but the music is really anything but. There's a beautiful optimism that permeates the entire set, and it's that feeling behind the sadness that makes it hit so hard. It's not often that you find this in any music, but the National have managed to capture the times we live in. It's astounding, but the more I listen to this the more it all seems to make sense. True music gets better with time, and I know that in the coming years this is only going to get better.

PS. I'll be seeing The National at Royal Albert Hall in London, and if I manage not to combust in my seat, I'll be back with a report on what will no doubt will be an amazing show.