I may have underestimated Matt Berninger, because I always thought the best parts of the National were his bandmates — the studio wizardry that made Aaron Dessner an A-list pop producer, the arranging expertise that turned Bryce Dessner into a Grammy-winning composer, and Bryan Devendorf's syncopations that go way beyond the average rock drummer.
But Berninger has proved me wrong, because his sophomore solo LP sounds pretty much like the next excellent album from the National: Get Sunk has the requisite rocker ("Bonnet of Pins," which follows in the mould of "Bloodbuzz Ohio" or "Don't Swallow the Cap"), some cinematic instrumental moments (the slow-attack synths and horns of "Silver Jeep"), and plenty of those sad-but-also-kinda-funny lyrics crooned in his signature baritone.