A Popular Culture

The National “Rylan”

I have no investment in The National, and have only liked scattered songs through their discography, mainly because their music tends to be so drab and monotonous. So it’s interesting to find that “Rylan,” one of the brightest and most dynamic songs they’ve ever released, is one that they had written many years ago but only recently completed. The work in tinkering with this song paid off. The beat is crisp and vital rather than plodding, the chords seem move rather than linger. As my friend Emily put it in her review of this record, the addition of other voices makes Matt Berninger’s deep, sad voice seem less dreary – as she puts it, it’s like adding a bit of salt to a chocolate chip cookie to make all the other flavors pop. The relatively light tone suits the subject matter well. He’s singing about a precocious child and observing their charms and challenges, and honoring the complexity of their character in a way that’s somewhat rare in songs about kids. This feels significantly warmer than a typical National song, and also a little more optimistic. They’re not sugar-coating anything, but hoping for the best.

Buy it from Amazon.