Matt Berninger – Get Sunk review

As a writer it really helps when what you’re faced with has a story. People connect with stories; being curious for better or worse is built into our received patterns of behaviour. For somebody as passively loved from a distance as The National’s Matt Berninger however the line between colour and context is a finer one to tread than usual – people like stories, but not always gossip.

It’s no secret however that the singer has been affected by an extended period of writer’s block, the kind of thing that rarely hobbles it’s subject without attendant struggles. The issues affected both the making of The National’s The First Two Pages of Frankenstein and this, his second solo album, on which he deals in part with the existential forces that shape people’s lives.

Inevitably there are moments where you feel he’s on your couch, especially during Nowhere Special’s croaky, free associative breakdown. But the opener Inland Ocean, the country tinged ballad Little By Little and Silver Jeep’s elegant heartbreak are weary masterclasses in pathos, whilst Bonnet of Pins is a reminder of how life affirming The National can be in full cry. Get Sunk is the work of a man that’s far from an open book, but it’s stories are never less than thoroughly listenable.

You can read a full review here.