High Violet

Release

On March 10, 2010, they performed opening track "Terrible Love" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, two months before the album's release.

The album's first single "Bloodbuzz Ohio" was made available for download on the band's website on March 24, 2010. The song was also released on 7" vinyl (with the exclusive B-side "Sin-Eaters") on May 3, 2010.

On April 19, 2010, a low-quality version of the album was leaked onto the internet in its entirety which prompted the band to announce that the album would be streaming on The New York Times' website from April 23 until April 27, then on NPR's website until May 11.

On May 13, 2010, the band played "Afraid of Everyone" on the Late Show with David Letterman. Sufjan Stevens sang backup for them during this performance.

High Violet sold 51,000 copies in its first week of sales, charting at #3 on the Billboard 200. This marks The National's highest charting effort yet (beating Boxer, which debuted at #68).

The track "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks" was the featured song at the climax of the second season of the SyFy Channel's TV show Warehouse 13.

In May 2013, the band played High Violet track 'Sorrow' 105 times in a row at an art installation in New York, in a performance lasting six hours.

The song "Runaway" was used in the 2013 film Warm Bodies.

Critical reception

High Violet was released to widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 based on reviews from mainstream critics, the album received a score of 85 out of 100 based on 36 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". BBC Music critic Mike Diver hailed the album as The National's "finest disc to date" and "a potential album of the year." Andrew Gaerig of Pitchfork Media wrote that "when they aim for powerful or poetic, they get there" and described High Violet as "the sound of a band taking a mandate to be a meaningful rock band seriously." Steven Hyden of The A.V. Club called the album "carefully considered without being labored" and "richly detailed without being fussy". The Guardian's Dave Simpson wrote that High Violet "is beautifully subtle" and "grows in power with each listen", and The Independent's Andy Gill called it "a masterclass in subtle emotional shading." Sputnikmusic writer Channing Freeman cited the album as the band's "third masterpiece in a row."

High Violet appeared on several publications' year-end lists of the best albums of 2010. Time named it the fourth best album of the year, and it also placed at number 15 on Rolling Stone's list of the 30 best albums of 2010. Pitchfork Media placed it at number 28 on their list of the 50 best albums of 2010. Exclaim! ranked High Violet at number 7 on their list of the Best Pop & Rock Albums of 2010, with critic Travis Persaud stating that it "continues the envious feat of releasing another album that's superior to its predecessor." The album placed at number eight on The Village Voice's year-end Pazz & Jop critics' poll. High Violet was awarded a Q Award for Best Album, an honor presented to The National by English musician Bernard Sumner. The album was also included in the 2011 edition of the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

Chart history

The album debuted at #3 on the US Billboard 200 and has sold over 250,000 copies in the US and 600,000 copies worldwide. The album also debuted in Canada at #2, in Portugal at #3, and in Germany at #10. High Violet is now a Gold Album in Canada, Ireland, Denmark, Belgium, Australia and the United Kingdom.

Credits