Launching Violets

The National's album High Violet is due for release on May 11 and the lads in the New York Times are kind enough to stream the album for free on their website.

This album continues with the bands finesse of creating painstakingly beautiful lyrics on top of music that makes you stop in your tracks.

So far, there have been many live performances released including the album's opening track 'Terrible Love', which I think needs the intensity of a live show to really make your skin shiver.

That being said, you are in safe hands if you want some decent skin shivering because The National do a top notch job with mixing the macabre (see track 9, 'Conversation 16') with agonising romance (see track 2, 'Sorrow' and track 6 'Bloodbuzz Ohio').

Since seeing them live in The Olympia last year, my heart has actually reserved a little place for the Brooklyn-based group and so far, High Violet has just heightened my need to see them again.

Be still my bacon-laced heart.