There's a reason I'm ignoring the first half of The National's album catalogue in this comparison. One: I haven't actually heard the first few albums (and that in itself is reason enough, so you're probably wondering what other excuse I can conjure up), and two: the two albums follow a motif, that is, they both sport a single word as their album titles, probably implying that The National is the Alligator and Boxer. Now that I've justified myself, on to the comparison:I liked Alligator before I liked Boxer, even though I listened to Boxer first. A first listen through Boxer may remind some people of bands like Interpol and the vocals of Leonard Cohen, which bring a sense of familiarity, and with that feeling intact, one may also feel like they've heard all that The National has to offer in that album.
That's the reason why I stuck to Alligator as my first purchase. That, and the fact that Alligator has "Secret Meeting." I downloaded the latter track thinking that I hadn't given the band a fair chance. The track proved itself well, with a crisp and clear drum-beat, introspective and catchy lyrics, and a rhythm that was impossible to forget. So, I bought Alligator and fell in love with the majority of songs. Alligator was more immediate, catchier, and more memorable - faster.
So, I bought Boxer because I heard that it was stronger than Alligator, but as soon as Fake Empire ran its 3 minute course - and what a beautiful three minutes it was - the album began to sound very unlike that first song, and much more generic afterwards.
With the exception of Fake Empire, Slow Show, Start a War, and maybe Gospel, the tracks didn't sound as diverse, the lyrics took a backseat, and the drums drove all the rhythm. It didn't offer its whole self as fast as Alligator did.
But, here's the thing about Boxer: You have to give it time to sink in. After watching the video for Apartment Story, I started to notice what the band was aiming for, and it wasn't the immediacy that they accomplished on their preceding effort. The verses, chorus, bridges and even the content of their lyrics become familiar with time, and with time you find that you start enjoying the songs more than you thought you would, as you notice the subtlety that make each track.
It's as if it's a pitch-dark night and its raining; you are alone in a deserted street, and you are going nowhere. As you get used to the rain, you stand and notice the small things all around you, like how traffic lights change colours, slowy, and how street lights illuminate the sidewalks. If you didn't stand still, if you had rushed to whatever your destination was, you would have complained about the rain and missed the night's offerings, the way you probably would complain about the predominant drum-beats on this record, without noticing the depth and irony in the lyrics and sound.They are two very different albums. Alligator is more immediate, but Boxer grows on you; And thus, Alligator's candle wastes faster than Boxer's, which never has a flame too big for the wax to handle. Whichever album you end up buying, you won't be disappointed - they are both great efforts. Though, perhaps you gave up on The National by the time they released their sophomore disk. If that's the case, then, foolish you.
Aside from the highlights above, here are few others from Alligator: Karen, Daughters of the Soho Riots, All The Wine, Mr. November (Alligator).
