THE NATIONAL - High Violet (Expanded Edition): To Buy Or Not To Buy?

So as you might have heard we are throwing down some sweet deals on Black Friday with a mini Record Store Day featuring special singles and eps by the likes of everyone from Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen to Cee Lo Green and MGMT. Thrown into that mix, although not necessarily an exclusive to Black Friday, is The National's expanded edition of their album "High Violet," which you may have heard of if you had a pulse this year. If, for whatever reason, you have recently recovered from a touch of the deathness you can read about "High Violet" here. Anyway, this edition features an entirely new second disc consisting of b-sides and alternate or live versions of album tracks. Awesome, right? Or maybe not.

The problem is that most people who would want some more National likely already have "High Violet" and are probably sort of resentful for being prodded to buy it again. If you aren't one of these people then congratulations! you face no such quandary, and you need to pick this up immediately. If you are one of these people, though, why would you buy the same album twice, especially when so much fresh goodness abounds even this late in the year? Well, let me make a clear and convincing case for redundancy. First of all, the second disc isn't just a couple of crappy tracks, instead it is eight songs, four of which do not appear on the album in any form. Those that are on the album are presented here as live or alternate tracks. If you have ever seen The National live before then you know that any song they perform live is going to contain more energy and power than what they can muster in the studio. For instance, "Anybody's Ghost" was one of my least favorite songs on "High Violet," because it just sounded limp. Here the band adds some extra umph which pumps life into the track, saving it from a fate of becoming one of the band's most boring songs. Then there is the alternate version of "Terrible Love." Usually alternate versions sound like stripped down messy demos, such is not the case here. This is a fully realized alternate take of one of the band's best tracks. It differs somewhat significantly for the first half of the song, focusing more on percussion and less on guitar. I won't say it is better than the original, but it is just as powerful, and actually a little more urgent.

Then there are the non-album tracks, which are the real draw here. The bouncy "Wake Up Your Saints" cribs a couple of lines from "Anybody's Ghost" and "Lemonworld" as jumping off points for the band's most upbeat track since "Apartment Story." The band returns to brooding with "You Were A Kindness." It's a slow burner, and one that would have fit perfectly on the album. "Sin Eaters" finds the band indulging their bombastic side, which they do so well. Like "Terrible Love" and "Fake Empire," the track starts out slow and plodding before working itself into a climax. It lacks the power of those tracks, but it's a keeper nonetheless. The only throwaway here is "Walk Off" a simple and rather uneventful piano and strings piece.

Now if that isn't enough to whet your appetite, what if I told you the whole thing was only $7.99? Yes, for the price of a cup of coffee and a pastry you can own this puppy. If the whole buying the same album twice still sticks in your craw, consider that you would be paying $7.99 or more (likely $10.99) for the single disc of extra tracks if it was released as a stand alone ep, so this is really a no brainer. Get down here on Black Friday, pick up some cool swag and don't forget to add "High Violet" to your basket. It's worth the 799 pennies you will spend on it.

"You Were A Kindness" live with Justin Vernon