the national
The National’s Aaron Dessner on Finding ‘Magic’ Chemistry With Taylor Swift
The National’s Aaron Dessner, who co-wrote and/or produced 11 of 16 tracks on Taylor Swift’s folklore, detailed the “magic” collaborative chemistry that helped spark her newly issued eighth LP. “It was a very surreal moment when she first contacted me, because we’d met before, twice in the past, mutual kind of admiration,” Dessner told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. “I knew she was a fan and we’ve always been fans of hers. But it was sort of like she reached out and said, ‘Would you ever be able to… or be interested in working on songs together?’ And I was like, ‘Sure. Like, wow.’ And then we just started to bounce around ideas.’ The musician, who had already been writing a lot of music during the COVID-19 lockdown, quickly sent Swift a folder full of ideas. “It just kind of was crazy instant ch...
folklore Is Taylor Swift’s Smoldering Pop Rebellion — Finally
The great fascination enveloping folklore, Taylor Swift’s mossy, surprise eighth LP, lies not within the album’s steadfast execution but the attempt itself — that during a global crisis which has paralyzed entire nations, a pop monolith would venture to swerve from her honey-soaked Lover’s lane and rumble deep into the forest, fixated on sonic reinvention. Hell, Swift’s fans would’ve been satisfied with a simple music video for her 11-month-old synth-bop “Cruel Summer.” Instead, she’s written furiously in isolation, launching an organic rebellion far beyond the pseudo-defiance of Reputation (nine Max Martin co-writes don’t exactly scream disobedience) and churning out the quickest album turnaround of her career. For studio expertise, she tapped the National’s indie-rock svengali Aaro...
Global shipping at ‘critical point’ as routes threatened by sailor shortage
The international shipping community is facing a major labour crisis, with sailors stranded on ships or at home because of visa and flight restrictions, maritime groups said. With crew changes down by 75 per cent, a humanitarian crisis is also developing, with sailors suffering mental health problems, fatigue and accidents from being trapped for months at a time on ships. With more than 200,000 sailors unable to leave their vessels and a similar number trying to get out to them, international shipping bodies believe the world economy is weeks from another disaster. Last week, only 13 countries including the UAE, Britain and the United States, signed up to an agreement to designate sailors as key workers, allowing them to fly home without quarantine or visa issues. But other major seafaring...
Matt Berninger Rolls Around in New Solo Video for ‘Distant Axis’
With the COVID-19 pandemic stopping concerts, festivals and any other public gathering, musicians have had to get creative with how they make new videos. The National’s Matt Berninger took this into account while filming his new video for “Distant Axis.” The video shows him walking to a makeshift set to film the visual with his brother and co-director Tom Berninger and Chris Sgroi. With a huge sheet of a green screen on the ground, Berninger sits in a swivel chair spinning around and rolling on the ground as random objects — including wigs, a Magic 8-Ball and a Hillary Clinton doll — are thrown at him. “Distant Axis” was a collaboration between Berninger and Walter Martin of The Walkmen. The two also worked on “Quarantine Boogie (Loco),” which dropped in April. “I met Walter Martin fifteen...
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