The National are an interesting band, just look at their members. Lead singer Matt Berninger is the only person without a sibling in the band. Guitarists Aaron and Bryce Dresner are twins, and drummer Bryan and bassist Scott are brothers. This gives The National a somewhat interesting dynamic, and I'm sure that it makes for a lot less band tension. The National have evolved from album to album, slowly becoming a powerhouse in the alternative rock scene. Couple that with an amazing live show and you have one of the best bands in America.
The National have 5 albums.
But Wait:
I don't like to rank EP's in this segment, but I would like to give something of an honorable mention to The National's 2004 EP Cherry Tree, which contains possibly my two favorite National songs. First of, the song that is without a doubt my favorite National song, "Wasp Nest". To me, the lyrics of this song describe the most perfect girl in the world. There is a certain piece of lyrics that goes something like
"Your eyes are broken bottles
And I'm afraid to ask
And all your wrath and cutting beauty
You're poison in the pretty glass"
That just speaks to me on maybe too high of a level. The musical arrangement is so beautifully subtle as well that it just makes it a near perfect song.
that's is the only video I could find, I don't know what's up with the girl.
The second song on Cherry Tree that needs mentioning is "About Today". "About Today" is the narrative of a couple that is slowly growing apart from each other. It has also become a live staple, which they have used during their encore every time I have seen them live. The violin in this song is intensely depressing, and it elicits strong emotions.
"Tonight you just close your eyes
and I just watch you slip away"
Ok, now that we have that out of the way. Let's get to it.
5. The National (2001)
The National's debut album suffers in a couple of ways. First and foremost it has a big problem defining a sound. Some songs just don't even sound like National songs at all ("John's Star" for example). There is also just a problem with how raw the band sounds. There is some stand out tracks though, including "29 Years", which later became a part of the Boxer track "Slow Show"
Highlights: Beautiful Head, American Mary, 29 Years
4. Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (2003)
Between this album and the aforementioned Cherry Tree, the national found their sound. This album is much more tight and focused than The National but still feels like it is lacking the flair of the band's later albums. "Murder Me Rachel is another older song that they like to play live. It feels like on these first two albums that Matt Berninger really hasn't figured out how to use his voice yet. There was a step that they just hadn't taken yet on Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers.
Highlights: Murder Me Rachel, Available, Patterns of Fairytales, Lucky You
3. Boxer (2007)
Placing Boxer and High Violet was pretty much impossible. You can consider them 2a and 2b if you'd like. Boxer was very subdued compared to its predecessor Alligator. This is more of the album that defines their sound than that album as well. Where Alligator has bouts of raw emotion and feral vocals, Boxer is almost glaringly constrained. If has a feeling as if it could burst at any moment, and is just being held in at the seems. The seems almost break on "Squalor Victoria" but just manage to hold. This constraint makes for a very interestingly formed album, and because of the relatively subtle musicianship, it is the lyrics that carry this album. Songs such as "Slow Show" and "Apartment Story" really show off the band's songwriting ability.
Highlights: Fake Empire, Mistaken For Strangers, Slow Show, Apartment Story, Start A War
let's play two
love this video
2. High Violet (2010)
The latest National album, and also one of the best. It very much shares the musical theme of Boxer, but also manages to bring some of the Alligator feel as well. Much like Boxer the songs are slowly paced, but this album has a more lush feel, with a larger reliance on violin and horns. The lyrics keep the personal nature of Boxer in songs like "Anyone's Ghost" and "Runaway" but there are also tracks that deal with the claustrophobia and paranoia that was more prevalent on Alligator, like "Afraid of Everyone" and "Conversation 16". It should be said that although I am comparing this album a lot to its predecessors, it has a style all its own. It is charged with feelings of loss, worry, and regret. Matt Berninger has said that this is because of the birth of his son, and the fear that goes along with being a parent. An intimate and beautiful record.
Highlights: Sorrow, Anyone's Ghost, Little Faith, Afraid of Everyone, Bloodbuzz, Ohio, Runaway, England
a beer and a shot darlin'
King Shit of Fuck Mountain: Alligator (2005)
(I'd like to thank Mr. Show for that one)
Well here we are. Alligator. A powerhouse of a record. From the first drum kick on "Secret Meeting" to the final strum on "Mr. November", this album does not let up. Sure it lets you breathe at points ("Val Jester" for example), but it is usually hitting on all cylinders, and sometimes even harder. The lyricism is so wonderfully abstract, yet the narrative of each song is easy to follow. It is at times intimate on songs like "Karen" and "Baby We'll Be Fine", and grandiose and bombastic on songs like "Lit Up" and "Abel". Matt Berninger must have nearly blown out his vocal chords in the creation of this album. While The National's other albums rely on layering, lushness, and constraint, Alligator relies many times on pure emotion. Matt's screaming on "Abel" and "Mr. November" are most symbolic of this. I never thought I would see so much meaning and significance in a man yelling "my mind's not right" and "I won't fuck us over". Alligator plays like a love song to being a young adult in the city. I am able to find so much meaning in the smallest snippets of lyrics.
"Didn't anybody tell you how to gracefully disappear in a room?"
"I pull off your jeans and you spill Jack and Coke on my collar"
"I'm sorry but the motorcade will have to go around me this time"
"Our hands are covered in cake but I swear we didn't have any"
"I've got $500 in twenties and I've got a lot of great ideas"
"I wish that I believed in fate. I which I didn't sleep so late"
Alligator plays like a great novel. That is the best compliment I can possibly give to it.
There is no use in highlighting any tracks. Go listen to the whole thing.
sup james brown
Went a little overboard there, sorry.
Bonus Track:
my minds gone loose inside it's shell
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