In keeping with the back-to-basics theme, the National reunite with longtime collaborator Peter Katis. Katis polished up beloved albums like Boxer and High Violet, but was largely absent from 2023’s First Two Pages of Frankenstein and Laugh Track in favor of Aaron Dessner’s Long Pond compatriot Jonathan Low (of Taylor Swift’s Folklore and Evermore). Japandroids’ Brian King has mused that Katis’ National records are often mixed like hip-hop, with drums and vocals taking priority, and that’s never been more true than on Rome. Devendorf’s drums overwhelm the rest of the band in the mix, as if Katis and company are overcompensating for years of synth dominance. The guitars aren’t just texture but an active part of the band, lending weight to Frankenstein highlights “Tropic Morning News” and the already energetic “Alien.” Every song is so maximal that some of the newer, quieter tracks suffer slightly: “New Order T-Shirt,” a charming ’90s-adult-alternative homage on Frankenstein, feels inappropriately epic.
The success of a given performance falls on Berninger, though, and his vocals are unfortunately inconsistent throughout. His baritone has become more nasal instead of deeper like his inspirations, sacrificing some of the gravitas. The “ahs” in the bridge of “Humiliation” sound flat, not just in pitch but in affect; the audience sounds more in tune than he does on “I Need My Girl.” When Berninger audibly enters the crowd, it’s endearing to picture his absurdly long mic cord and his Matt Wrangler trailing behind—but for those unfamiliar with the scene, it’s just as likely to sound as though he’s out of breath and off-key. His looseness can hamper the band in concert the same way Aaron Dessner’s tastefulness does in the studio, and this recording won’t convince anyone not already used to Berninger antics.
Rome’s more esoteric choices only emphasize the unlikeliness of this band getting this far. Cynical, misanthropic lyrics from Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers like “You could have been a legend/But you became a father,” from “Slipping Husband” (not present here, but also played on tour) feel strange coming from someone who’s seemingly managed both in the intervening years. Angst never quite fit the National the way sentiment did, so it’s jarring to hear them bring out Sad Songs’ dark, cryptic “Murder Me Rachael” after they’ve outgrown it. Alligator track “Lit Up” satirically imagines the band as an ephemeral hype act with a gun-toting bodyguard, but it doesn’t hit quite the same from the group that unironically wrote a song about its tour manager. These selections are reminders of a darkness the band has largely shed: You don’t write, “It’s a common fetish for a doting man/To ballerina on the coffee table, cock in hand” thinking you’ll one day sell out Madison Square Garden.
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