I Am Easy to Find
by The National
  • Record Label: 4AD
  • Release Date: May 17, 2019
User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 129 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 112 out of 129
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 129
  3. Negative: 9 out of 129
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  1. Edjackson
    May 17, 2019
    10
    This album listening feels like entering a photography museum presented with your life. There are some ugly and beautiful parts but they all are part of you. This band managed to play on their strength but it elevated it to give us all the sense that we are part of it. Impeccable work - arrange, lyrics, voices, feelings.
  2. BrushedRed
    May 17, 2019
    10
    I went into this with minimal expectations at best because of the singles leading up to this, but man was I in for a surprise. The National are one of my favorite bands ever, and I felt the singles were lacking something, but everything here is just so top notch. It's like TWFM and High Violet had a baby and this is exactly what I've wanted since TWFM, which is personally my favoriteI went into this with minimal expectations at best because of the singles leading up to this, but man was I in for a surprise. The National are one of my favorite bands ever, and I felt the singles were lacking something, but everything here is just so top notch. It's like TWFM and High Violet had a baby and this is exactly what I've wanted since TWFM, which is personally my favorite National album. Critics had my expectations low, especially with a 7.6 from pitchfork, but that score is hilarious. This is easily some of their best work. Where Is Her Head and Not in Kansas both deserve a 10 alone and the album delivers on top of those. Don't listen to the muddled reception right now. This album is fantastic!… Expand
  3. Cynicoon
    May 17, 2019
    10
    Certainly a departure from the usual The National sound, this album presents a calmer, more organized sound than previous records. However it is a welcome change, as always the band shows a mastery with melody and lyrical composition, adding an amazing female vocal backdrop that make the record so much more intimate and new. Another amazing effort from the band.
  4. SugarMouse
    May 17, 2019
    10
    This is an outstanding album by one of America's great rock bands. It's their Ok Computer or their Sandinista. It's the album where the band finds the right mix of talent and experimentation. Each band member shines from Bryce's strings to Matt's voice to Scott's emotional bass lines to Aaron's gorgeous piano work to Bryan's incredible drumming. Is it a good starting point for a new fan?This is an outstanding album by one of America's great rock bands. It's their Ok Computer or their Sandinista. It's the album where the band finds the right mix of talent and experimentation. Each band member shines from Bryce's strings to Matt's voice to Scott's emotional bass lines to Aaron's gorgeous piano work to Bryan's incredible drumming. Is it a good starting point for a new fan? No. That would probably be Trouble Will Find Me or Boxer. However, it's a gift to the loyal fans. It is an experiment that almost always works and brings incredible emotional depth to the music.… Expand
  5. Flippedbymovies
    May 17, 2019
    10
    One of the greatest aspects of The National's music for me was the balance between Matt Berninger's cold, darker voice with the warmth brought by the instrumental lines, especially the brass ones. While I'm a bit sad to see that there are barely any brass sections in this album, the warmth is now present on the form of amazing feminine vocals and strings.
    What a beautiful album and an    One of the greatest aspects of The National's music for me was the balance between Matt Berninger's cold, darker voice with the warmth brought by the instrumental lines, especially the brass ones. While I'm a bit sad to see that there are barely any brass sections in this album, the warmth is now present on the form of amazing feminine vocals and strings.
    What a beautiful album and an impressive way for a band to show that they can still bring their essence while stepping away from their comfort zone.    … Expand
  6. thefrayedfiles
    May 18, 2019
    10
    I Am Easy to Find is an overwhelming, emotional journey through the dark, fragile parts of life. The National consolidate their identity as one of the most brilliant indie rock bands out there.
  7. musicwizard636
    May 21, 2019
    5
    There are bits and pieces of their past albums' inspirations sprinkled throughout the 60+ minute run-time of "I Am Easy to Find". All of those bits, however, are swallowed whole by horridly boring melodies and ballads. The National has created what is easily their worst release to date.
  8. noequ
    May 17, 2019
    10
    I was kinda excited for the album when I knew about it, specially because I really liked their last one, and when I found out they had featured Sharon Van Etten. But I wasn't expecting to like it this much, it really was a great surprise and it has some of my favorites songs of the year so far. I totally recommend it, please give it a listen. You won't be disappointed.
  9. bdubz
    May 17, 2019
    9
    Awesome album from start to finish. A beautiful album and some of their best. Definitely a solid 9. Best new indie album of 2019! Hands down.
  10. nanananaa
    May 20, 2019
    10
    Brilliant. Album of the year. Thank you, thank you, thank you for pushing your sound and coming out with a quality album.
  11. Eme
    Jun 5, 2019
    10
    "I am easy to find" is art on its most vulnerable nature. So poetic. So human. Amazing!
  12. muz
    May 23, 2019
    3
    I am (or was) a big fan of The National. If you've always wished The National was a vocal collaboration band, this is your album. It just doesn't work for me. Every track with a guest vocalist? Too much. I find it incoherent, inconsistent, too long and just hard to listen to. Maybe it'll grow on me. Probably not.
  13. RafaelSeixas
    May 26, 2019
    8
    É um álbum que, dentro do seu propósito, se posiciona de uma maneira confortável. Instrumentalmente falando não apresenta grande impacto, o destaque fica para as letras profundas e coesas (Roman Holiday é um exemplo disso). Há um rodízio de vozes interessante entre as faixas. 63 minutos para um álbum excessivamente linear confesso que não sei se gosto, fico na dúvida. É um belo trabalho,É um álbum que, dentro do seu propósito, se posiciona de uma maneira confortável. Instrumentalmente falando não apresenta grande impacto, o destaque fica para as letras profundas e coesas (Roman Holiday é um exemplo disso). Há um rodízio de vozes interessante entre as faixas. 63 minutos para um álbum excessivamente linear confesso que não sei se gosto, fico na dúvida. É um belo trabalho, CONFORTÁVEL é a definição mais apropriada.… Expand
  14. Ricko
    Apr 1, 2020
    8
    Let me begin by stating that "I Am Easy to Find" is well worth your listening time. It does see The National take what is arguably a completely unnecessary risk. For me, The National are up there with the greatest if not the greatest of 21st century bands. 2013's "Trouble Will Find Me", while a good album, marked a clear end to a particular period for them and both the band and their fansLet me begin by stating that "I Am Easy to Find" is well worth your listening time. It does see The National take what is arguably a completely unnecessary risk. For me, The National are up there with the greatest if not the greatest of 21st century bands. 2013's "Trouble Will Find Me", while a good album, marked a clear end to a particular period for them and both the band and their fans probably needed a change. They took their time with a follow up, time they could now afford as a serious player on the international music scene. "Sleep Well Beast" was everything it needed to be, challenging, progressive and exciting while retaining the classic sound and atmosphere of the band. They nailed their risky experimental album by doing it in a subtle and gradual manner. In and around 20 months later, a new album by The National comes along. A pleasant surprise on the face of it but all is not quite what it seems. Of course this is very much a National album but with Matt Berninger's vocals no longer heart and centre, something feels off. That unmistakable voice is still the main one you hear but there are a myriad of guest females on the album, so much so that it has the feel of a collaborative album. Aaron Dessner has been collaborating with half the music world in recent years, with excellent results. I would have thought he'd have it out of his system for when it came to a new National album. While there are of course the usual quota of magical tracks here in terms of vocal melody blending perfectly with some kind of Dessner indie symphony, most of the time it is when Berninger takes centre stage proper. It is not just the vocals either. Many of the tracks sound like ideas that could form piece of a song rather than a full track on a National album. While "I Am Easy To Find" has more going on sonically than any of their other albums, it also sounds more undercooked, less tense and is harder to enjoy. The National have always been an emotionally charged band, fuelled by Matt Berninger and his demons. This effect is diluted here. Look, I'm harping on about my problems with this but it is a highly ambitious effort from an incredibly talented group. It is worth checking out and I do like it but when it comes to this band, I'm usually head over heels and that just is not the case with this.… Expand
  15. nironiro
    May 21, 2019
    10
    One of the best The National albums..quiet relaxing..amazing females vocals.. Possible album of the year 2019.
  16. P00PF4RT5
    Apr 30, 2021
    3
    Incredibly boring. Removing the hooks of the songs leaves them feeling long winded and drawn out. I wasn't a fan of sleep well beast but this one makes it look like the white album.

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Most Discussed Album of 2019
76
#76 Most Shared Album of 2019

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
  1. PopMatters
    May 28, 2019
    80
    While the National have been transformed and enhanced by the tendrils of connection that have grown out into a wider world here with this bold and remarkable series of collaborations and joint ventures, they also remain their essential selves.
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  2. Variety
    May 22, 2019
    80
    By allowing their diligently designed blueprint to take a new, unexpected form, the National haven’t ceded the spotlight, only broadened it.
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  3. Sputnikmusic
    May 20, 2019
    94
    The centre of gravity around which they've always spun, the human heart of Berninger's lyrics that was always caked under middle-class anxiety and "quote-unquote upscale tropical funeral" surrealism, has never been easier to find. This tension between open-heartedness and discursive, tangential songwriting--let's call it the distance between simplicity and complexity, for closure's sake--is the paradox on which this album is built, and to that brilliant balancing act you can always return when it feels like it's losing the thread.
    Read full review
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