brings an abundance of energy for a brooding, middle-aged indie rock band, as evidenced on their new live album, 鈥淩ome.鈥�
The 21-track, two-LP album 鈥� recorded in concert at the Parco della Musica auditorium in Italy's capital in June 鈥� is a fan-friendly sing-along that strings together some of the best sounds of their
Eight of the band鈥檚 10 studio albums are represented in 鈥淩ome,鈥� releasing Friday from this Ohio-born and New York-based quintet fronted by the gravel-voiced Matt Berninger and fueled by two sets of brothers: and Bryan and Scott Devendorf.
The opener, 鈥淩unaway,鈥� is one of a handful of deeper cuts, this one from the lyrically dreary yet melodically uplifting 2010 album 鈥淗igh Violet." The drumming brilliance of Bryan Devendorf shines throughout another 鈥淗igh Violet鈥� cut, 鈥淏loodbuzz Ohio鈥� and spreads into 鈥淭he System Only Dreams in Total Darkness,鈥� the heart of their 2017 album, 鈥淪leep Well Beast.鈥�
The self-described 鈥渟ad dads,鈥� a self-deprecating nickname that shows up on some of their own merchandise, are rocking as hard as ever on this record.
Berninger, as he described during an interview last year with battled depression during the pandemic. 鈥淔irst Two Pages of Frankenstein,鈥� one of two albums released last year in what became a revitalization for Berninger and his bandmates, has a significant presence on 鈥淩ome.鈥�
An example: The angst in 鈥淓ucalyptus鈥� over the impending breakup of a close relationship is palpable, but the genius of Berninger's lyrics performed live lies in a mood-lightening list of household items 鈥� from bottled water to a ceiling fan. 鈥淲hat about the ornaments?鈥� he sings. 鈥淲hat if I reinvented again? What about the moon drop light?鈥�
Berninger's baritone becomes scratchier by the song, as much a feature of a National performance as it is a bug. And for that reason, 鈥淩ome鈥� is not the place to make a diehard fan out of a newbie listener. Berninger rarely holds back during a show, and 2023's 鈥淪moke Detector鈥� is one of those songs that devolves into a cacophonic mess of top-of-the-lungs screaming.
The encore features a live-show staple, 2010's 鈥淭errible Love,鈥� during which Berninger typically delights the crowd by trying to body surf as staff frantically try to feed him enough slack on the microphone cord to make the stunt work.
On the closer, 鈥淗igh Violet鈥� cut 鈥淰anderlyle Crybaby Geeks,鈥� Berninger lets the crowd take the first verse. As the horns from Benjamin Lanz and Kyle Resnick 鈥� frequent tour guests from the band Beirut 鈥� punctuate the breaks, the feel-good melody that belies every anxiety-ridden verse resonates to the end.
Dave Campbell, The Associated Press
