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10.0
111367
10.0 |
A.V. Club
The National’s never been afraid to dial things down, but it’s rarely sounded as vulnerable as it does here—song after song, Dessner’s vibrant, moody arrangements serve to reflect Berninger’s precarious balance of hope and frustration
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10.0
111386
10.0 |
The Skinny
A thrillingly ambitious, deeply collaborative game-changer
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9.5
111334
9.5 |
Northern Transmissions
‘I Am Easy To Find’ is the sound of The National at their creative peak, with little sign to indicate they’re due to plateau anytime soon
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9.0
111374
9.0 |
XS Noize
The National have absolutely surpassed ‘Sleep Well Beast’ on this record. The music is reinventive while still maintaining the bands signature style and Matt Berninger remains one of indie rocks greatest lyricists, even when other voices are singing his words
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9.0
111197
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
The nature of the project is in a way their own noble experiment, ultimately finding them at their boldest and most assured to date
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9.0
111332
9.0 |
The Music
We feel our ribcages cracking open, hearts beating bloody on the floor
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9.0
111333
9.0 |
Exclaim
It might challenge some fans and may not ever grow on others, but more than anything, it proves that the National are not the band you thought they were. They're way more than that
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9.0
111441
9.0 |
Paste Magazine
Rarely, if ever, do bands set forth a record this accomplished about 20 years into their careers. But, as has been the case upon nearly every release since Alligator, The National have put out another album that could easily be argued as their best
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8.5
111432
8.5 |
Under The Radar
A National album like no other
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8.2
111384
8.2 |
Sputnik Music (staff)
A record of hairpin turns, detours and loose ends, of memories in your grasp and then slipping away. It’s a damn fine National album
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8.0
111388
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
Indie-rock standard-bearers pivot to collectivist art-making with 70+ musicians and a host of women’s voices, to potent effect
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8.0
111394
8.0 |
No Ripcord
I Am Easy To Find resembles a closing-down sale, with ideas being thrown around whether they fit or not — even the inclusion of Rylan (first recorded during the High Violet sessions) comes across as a knowing nod
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8.0
111406
8.0 |
Clash
With new voices, new avenues of exploration and new lyrical viewpoints, The National, alongside producer-director Mike Mills, once again show their ability to reinvent themselves to produce something that is more than just an album
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8.0
111416
8.0 |
Evening Standard
At times, as with much of their recent material, it can be too tasteful and serene. More raw passion would provoke a stronger emotional response. But to see a band pushing further, dramatically changing the formula this far into their career, is a beautiful thing
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8.0
111440
8.0 |
American Songwriter
The National prove with I Am Easy To Find that they don’t need the old bang and clatter to achieve their signature melancholic glory
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8.0
111363
8.0 |
The Guardian
Understated songs full of trademark emotional intensity
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8.0
111627
8.0 |
PopMatters
The National's eighth album is not as easy to locate or to live with, as its title suggests, but it contains passages of sublime beauty and grace
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8.0
111302
8.0 |
Loud And Quiet
Essentially, this album is up there with the National’s best
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8.0
111306
8.0 |
Slant Magazine
The band’s widest-ranging and most surprising effort to date
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8.0
111198
8.0 |
Record Collector
At 68 minutes long and 16 tracks, its length becomes an issue during a third quarter which drifts. But as an exercise in breaking with consistency, I Am Easy To Find shows The National remain open to new possibilities after all
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8.0
111199
8.0 |
Mojo
It's a record filled with beauty that tries to do what therapy does: sort through a mess of emotions and reorganise them into something that makes more sense. Print edition only
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8.0
111200
8.0 |
Uncut
The relentless mid-tempos at times make this epic 16-track album drag, but on the devastating "Not In Kansas" and the frantic "Where Is Her Head" Berninger once again proves himself rock's most astute and humane chronicler of everyday crises of faith. Print edition only
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8.0
111201
8.0 |
Q
In its gathering of new sounds, new singers and new structures comes a deeper message: that change is not always something to fear. Print edition only
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8.0
111249
8.0 |
The Irish Times
By the time we get to album closer Light Years, The National have given us soundtracks to many days lived, and yet to be lived
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8.0
111377
8.0 |
Punk News
They’re never going to knock you down with their raw power. But, like the Midwestern cities of southwestern Ohio that birthed them … you’ll find a lot of beauty if you stick around long enough
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8.0
111379
8.0 |
NME
This eighth National album is the accompaniment to a 25-minute art-house movie. And yet – lush, profound, experimental – it's also much more than that
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8.0
111358
8.0 |
DIY
They turn the lens outwards for the first time
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7.6
111341
7.6 |
Pitchfork
With a cast of female vocalists guiding and redirecting the songs, the National’s eighth album is their largest, longest, and most daring
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7.0
111281
7.0 |
musicOMH
The album as a whole falls short of The National’s best work. Yet it is, in places, an admirable detour
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7.0
111451
7.0 |
Spectrum Culture
A much-needed rejoinder to the idea that the band has rested on their laurels
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7.0
111368
7.0 |
All Music
I Am Easy to Find has loose ends and picturesque detours in addition to a revolving cast of characters and a suggestion of mess that give the album an appealingly unkempt sense of humanity
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6.8
111866
6.8 |
Gig Soup
After two decades, the ever-impressive Ohioans open their doors to allow a new perspective to take centre stage. The results are mixed but when they are good, they are rather great
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6.7
111385
6.7 |
Consequence Of Sound
Talented guests and solid songwriting make for an overall welcome record
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6.7
111633
6.7 |
Earbuddy
Listen to how perfectly "Light Years" works with just Berninger and the band and a subtle touch of backing vocals. It's likely the one you'll remember from this album the most
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6.0
111361
6.0 |
The Independent
The band’s eighth album feels like an old friend you’re pleased to keep around, but it suffers from spiritual jet lag
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4.0
111382
4.0 |
The 405
The National may be Easy to Find, but inspiration is decidedly less so
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4.0
111444
4.0 |
The Observer
Perhaps the only elements missing from this overegged affair are, crucially, excitement and anything so much as a memorable melody
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4.0
111420
4.0 |
The FT
In their latest album, the American indie group maximise on texture and disillusionment but fail to create anything memorable
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