{"product_id":"first-two-pages-of-frankenstein","title":"First Two Pages of Frankenstein","description":"\u003cp\u003eAnchored by evocative melodies and an enthralling lyrical narrative, \u003cem\u003eFirst Two Pages of Frankenstein\u003c\/em\u003e signals a thrilling new chapter in the band’s discography.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 11-song album was produced by \u003cstrong\u003eThe National\u003c\/strong\u003e at Long Pond Studios in upstate New York and features guest appearances by \u003cstrong\u003eTaylor Swift\u003c\/strong\u003e, \u003cstrong\u003ePhoebe Bridgers\u003c\/strong\u003e, and \u003cstrong\u003eSufjan Stevens\u003c\/strong\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe follow-up to 2019’s top five hit album \u003cem\u003eI Am Easy To Find\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eFirst Two Pages of Frankenstein\u003c\/em\u003e was initially stalled while lead singer Matt Berninger navigated \"a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all, and that period lasted for over a year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eEven though we’d always been anxious and argued quite a lot whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end.\" Instead, \u003cstrong\u003eThe National\u003c\/strong\u003e \"managed to come back together and approach everything from a different angle, and because of that we arrived at what feels like a new era for the band,\" according to guitarist\/pianist Bryce Dessner, whose bandmates also include his brother Aaron Dessner (guitar\/piano\/bass) as well as brothers Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFirst Two Pages of Frankenstein\u003c\/em\u003e channels the group’s revitalized chemistry into a body of work that beautifully balances elegant musicality with \u003cstrong\u003eThe National\u003c\/strong\u003e’s more idiosyncratic impulses.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTracks such as \"\u003cem\u003eGrease in Your Hair\u003c\/em\u003e\" and \"\u003cem\u003eIce Machines\u003c\/em\u003e\" were road-tested in 2022 before they were recorded, allowing the band to hone the material in real time (another song, \"\u003cem\u003eWeird Goodbyes\u003c\/em\u003e\" featuring \u003cstrong\u003eBon Iver\u003c\/strong\u003e’s Justin Vernon, was released as a standalone track last August).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"To me the power of this record has to do with the intentionality and structure of the music meeting with a lot of accidental magic,\" says Aaron Dessner.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTaylor Swift\u003c\/strong\u003e duets with Berninger on the luminous \"\u003cem\u003eThe Alcott\u003c\/em\u003e,\" continuing her recent string of collaborations with members of \u003cstrong\u003eThe National\u003c\/strong\u003e on her chart-topping albums \u003cem\u003efolklore\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eevermore\u003c\/em\u003e and Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine project.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe song finds Berninger and Swift inhabiting the roles of a couple attempting to resurrect a troubled relationship, forging a finely drawn story nearly novelistic in scope.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\"It’s about two people with a long history returning to a place and trying to relive a certain moment in time,\" says Berninger. \"It’s got the feeling of a last-ditch effort to hold onto the relationship, but there’s a hint of something positive where you can see the beginnings of a reconnection.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"4AD","offers":[{"title":"Red LP","offer_id":50417303191883,"sku":"2007469","price":32.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50417302831435,"sku":"2007466","price":12.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"LP","offer_id":50417302929739,"sku":"2007468","price":29.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/0-2_55ff867b_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1726725464","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/fr\/products\/first-two-pages-of-frankenstein","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}