In today's world, Sleep Well Beast has become a topic of great relevance and interest to a wide sector of society. Whether due to its impact on the economy, its influence on popular culture, or its role in history, Sleep Well Beast has become a topic of constant discussion in different areas. Over the years, Sleep Well Beast has sparked mixed opinions, heated debates, and has been the subject of numerous studies and investigations. In this article, we will thoroughly explore the role of Sleep Well Beast today and discuss its importance in different contexts.
On May 9, and May 10, 2017, the National's Twitter page tweeted out two short audio teasers, one from the title track and the other from the lead single, "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness".
Singles
The first single from the album, "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness", was released on May 11, 2017, alongside the album's announcement. The second single, "Guilty Party", was released on June 28, 2017. A third single, "Carin at the Liquor Store", was released on August 8, 2017, followed by the fourth, "Day I Die". on August 29. The fifth single, "I'll Still Destroy You", was released on October 23, 2017.
Packaging and marketing
The artwork for Sleep Well Beast consists of a black and white photograph, shot by Graham MacIndoe, of the side of a barn in Hudson Valley, New York dating back to the 18th century, bought by the guitarist Aaron Dessner and rebuilt as the album's recording studio. MacIndoe also took numerous photographs of the band during recording sessions for the album inserts. Andrea Trabucco-Campos and Elaynna Blaser-Gould, with partner Luke Hayman, of the British design firm Pentagram, were the art directors for the album's packaging.
Unusually, Pentagram also created the branding and identity for Sleep Well Beast and the band, including a corporate standards manual. Additionally, they created the marketing campaign to highlight and play on the album's themes of politics, society and propaganda as "a bit of a joke". The album and branding use the Grotesque-based font Maison with a predominantly blue and white-based color palette. From the cover, the barn was condensed into a pentagon used as the branding's logo, subdivided into two squares and triangles implemented within the design and branding, even in the artwork itself, as an allusion to corporate branding.
The marketing campaign was executed in several ways. The band's label, 4AD, partnered with the design company Diabolical to create a mural for the album in Shoreditch, London, containing a lyric from "Day I Die". Four music videos – "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness", "Guilty Party", "Carin at the Liquor Store" and "Day I Die" – were directed by Casey Reas prior to the album's release, included in video billboard advertisements released in Times Square, London and Copenhagen. Band merchandise included the branding for the album, specifically the pentagon logo.
Sleep Well Beast received widespread acclaim from music critics. On Metacritic, which assigns an average score out of 100 to reviews and ratings from mainstream music critics, the album received an average score of 85 based on 35 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".
In The Observer, Kitty Empire described Sleep Well Beast as an exponent of "the tension created by the hyper-musical brother duos, pacing the cage of what 'rock band' means with increased vigour. It often adds up to a subtle, grown-up take that still leaves space for drama."
^Kuettel, Benjamin (September 8, 2017). "Review: The National - Sleep Well Beast". Sputnikmusic. Retrieved December 28, 2017. Despite the changes The National have undertaken, their brand of indie rock remains as impressive and fresh as their previous classics.
^Wise, Dan Cairns, David Cairns, Hugh Canning, Clive Davis, Paul Driver, Jonathan Dean, Mark Edwards, Lisa Verrico and Louis (December 3, 2017). "100 best albums of the year". The Times. ISSN0140-0460. Retrieved January 10, 2018.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
^"Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 37.Týden 2017 on the field besides the words "CZ – ALBUMS – TOP 100" to retrieve the correct chart. Retrieved September 19, 2017.