By Sean Frank
A friend of mine once described the album Boxer by The National as going down like fine wine. This comparison is apt because after the consumption of both you can find yourself in an intensely emotional state. The journey towards the destination always seems to be relaxed though. This applys to the album which just like a conversation with old friends over a bottle of wine settles into a nice groove. It is the small touches in the production along with stylized and coyly sentimental lyrics that go a long way towards creating a unique and emotionally rewarding experience. The track “Green Gloves” exemplifies this and more than anything else is just a great song.
Lead singer Matt Berninger does not have a great voice but he is damn good at using his baritone and casual delivery to create a very interesting presence. He seems very serious and seriously unconcerned about the lyrics he sings. This works especially well for “Green Gloves”, a song about friendship, reflection, memory, and the passage of time. The opening line, “Falling out of touch with all my friends are somewhere getting wasted…” creates a somber atmosphere tinged with the highs alcohol can bring. This creates the perfect set-up for the rest of the song.
After reflecting on what his friends are doing Berninger contemplates what it would be like to become them. The chorus uses the image of green gloves to convey this with lines such as, “Get inside their cloths with my green gloves. Watch their videos in their chairs.” This is somewhat creepy but also inspired. His memory and regret about loosing touch has become too much. Now he wants to escape his own mind, if just for a brief moment. This casts a surreal glow on the song that complements and sheds new light on every other facet.
To say the song is multifaceted is an understatement. Every instrument is beautifully played without calling attention to itself. They work together along with the lyrics towards the creation of an experience and a place that feels familiar and completely alien at the same time. Each carefully placed word combines the confessional nature of singer songwriters and the idiosyncratic spirit of indie rock. Also, the music seems to rest somewhere between lounge, indie, and art rock with a dash of alt-country thrown in for good measure.
It’s not easy to measure the worth of an individual song but I’d say this one should be rated pretty close to perfect. It uses details to create a picture that is open to interpretation. It also presents emotions that are universal through phrasing and ideas that seem utterly unique. This makes the song easy to get lost in and hard to ignore. It also just makes for a song that seems feather light on the surface but dig a little deeper and it carries the weight of lost years and missed memories.