Today music for robots posted a song I've been listening to for weeks: The National - Mr. November. Go listen, it is incredible. The drums are the marquee instrument here, clear and present in the mix, reminding me of the non-shitty Walkmen songs or Madonna era Trail of Dead. The repetitive chorus of "I won't fuck us over/I'm Mr. November" is catchy as all shit, but my favourite lines are:

I wish that I believed in fate
I wish I didn't sleep so late
I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders

Mark Robot does a much better job nailing the song:

What is important is that Mr. November will fuck us over. He has to. There's so much desperation, so much to lose, there is no other way. He's buried in all this old pride, this leftover bravado, but it's not worth a shit. None of it matters because whatever he's attempting now is bound to fail. Even though the song is absolutely bursting with hope, I can't help but feel it's false.

The National - Alligator, one of the year's best.