I Am Easy to Find
by The National
  • Record Label: 4AD
  • Release Date: May 17, 2019
Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 29 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 34
  3. Negative: 0 out of 34
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  1. The Independent (UK)
    May 16, 2019
    60
    I Am Easy to Find feels like an old friend you’re pleased to keep around--even if, had you been introduced today, you wonder if you’d have been compelled to make the effort.
  2. The Telegraph (UK)
    May 16, 2019
    60
    This is bold, weird, beautiful stuff, but the listener has their work cut out getting to it. Ironically, the core of I Am Easy to Find is not particularly easy to find. At all.
  3. Chicago Tribune
    May 17, 2019
    50
    The arrangements only rarely bring out the drama in these interactions. The intimacy becomes wearying, with spoken-word interludes, interstitial pieces and hushed vocals stretching the 16 songs to 64 minutes, an experiment in search of a direction. The most radical album of the National’s career is also its most disappointing.
  5. The Observer (UK)
    May 20, 2019
    40
    A strangely flat album.
  6. The 405
    May 17, 2019
    40
    The talented likes of Lisa Hannigan and Sharon Van Etten attempt to breathe life into affairs, but there’s no resuscitating a creature that never breathed to begin with. No less, they for some reason decided to draw this death rattle out across their longest album to date, blindly moping through an inexplicably sixty-three minute run time.

Awards & Rankings

73
#73 Most Discussed Album of 2019
76
#76 Most Shared Album of 2019

User Reviews

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User Score
8.4

Universal acclaim- based on 129 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 112 out of 129
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 129
  3. Negative: 9 out of 129
  1. Edjackson
    May 17, 2019
    10
    This album listening feels like entering a photography museum presented with your life. There are some ugly and beautiful parts but they allThis album listening feels like entering a photography museum presented with your life. There are some ugly and beautiful parts but they all are part of you. This band managed to play on their strength but it elevated it to give us all the sense that we are part of it. Impeccable work - arrange, lyrics, voices, feelings.… Full Review »
  2. SugarMouse
    May 17, 2019
    10
    This is an outstanding album by one of America's great rock bands. It's their Ok Computer or their Sandinista. It's the album where the bandThis is an outstanding album by one of America's great rock bands. It's their Ok Computer or their Sandinista. It's the album where the band finds the right mix of talent and experimentation. Each band member shines from Bryce's strings to Matt's voice to Scott's emotional bass lines to Aaron's gorgeous piano work to Bryan's incredible drumming. Is it a good starting point for a new fan? No. That would probably be Trouble Will Find Me or Boxer. However, it's a gift to the loyal fans. It is an experiment that almost always works and brings incredible emotional depth to the music.… Full Review »
  3. Cynicoon
    May 17, 2019
    10
    Certainly a departure from the usual The National sound, this album presents a calmer, more organized sound than previous records. However itCertainly a departure from the usual The National sound, this album presents a calmer, more organized sound than previous records. However it is a welcome change, as always the band shows a mastery with melody and lyrical composition, adding an amazing female vocal backdrop that make the record so much more intimate and new. Another amazing effort from the band.… Full Review »
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