CHUD.com Community › Forums › MUSIC › Music › The National
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

The National

post #1 of 13
7/1/08 at 8:09pm
Thread Starter 
I know there is a lot of talk about these guys in various threads (songs that are owning you right now for example) but they don't seem to have their own thread so I thought I'd make one.

I got into the band after Dave B spent most of last year extolling the virtues of Boxer. I absolutely adore Boxer and Songs For Dirty Lovers but I've always found Alligator something of a hard album to get into, that was until I saw them live.

The set was largely split between Boxer and Alligator songs (they pulled out some tracks from Songs For Dirty Lovers in the encore) and it really gave context to the Alligator songs.

There's just something about the lead singers voice on Alligator which only works for me when I saw them live, his Lou Reedesque inotation finally making a lot of the songs work.

The 2nd surprise was the way they approached their newer material. Anyone who has heard Boxer will know that each song sort of builds to what you expect to be a crescendo before flitting off into a new direction. What they do live is just change the outro on every song that they all become a little bit anthemic. Hearing Slow Show and Start A War played with a two minute (almost post-rocky) outro was quite surprising and whilst it works surprisingly well on several tracks their policy of doing it on EVERYTHING started to get a little silly.

BUT they're still a fantastic, fantastic band live.
Reply
post #2 of 13
7/1/08 at 8:33pm
It's probably my favorite band, and they grow on me every time I hear them. Boxer is by far the best album of 2007.

And The Virginia EP is actually not bad at all, and contain some great tracks.
Reply
post #3 of 13
7/1/08 at 11:18pm
I think they're currently the best band going. Though, that's really a matter of whether I've heard them or Okkervil River more recently. Still, they're an amazing band.

I have to disagree about their live show, though. I found it so disappointing. MissZooey described it best...every song was quiet quiet quiet...LOUD LOUD LOUD. Nothing there held my interest. Well, Mr. November was pretty good, but then again, it IS quiet quiet quiet...LOUD LOUD LOUD.

I really like The Virginia EP, and I have yet to even glance at A Skin A Night.

Also, Spike..I don't know if you were doing shorthand or making a mistake, but in case of the latter, it's Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. It features the awesome 90-Mile Waterwall, where The National really turn up the Johnny Cash in the mix.
Reply
post #4 of 13
7/1/08 at 11:52pm
There's a song out there labeled as an alternate take of "Brainy" - it's almost exactly the same until it goes past where the Boxer version ends, where the song changes and there's an outro with more lyrics, etc. It's interesting to hear, but I am so glad they decided to be ruthless and cut it down to the cold, creepy, and simple song that "Brainy" is now. Boxer has a real unique and, I don't know... bloodless feel to it. That's one of the things I love about it, and why it took me a while to get into Alligator (the second of their albums I listened to). Eventually I'm coming to appreciate the dirtier feel, the emotion, and the barnburners of "Lit Up" and "Abel."

I've never seen them live, but looking at YouTube videos Matt does seem to be subdued 90% of the time and insane the other 10%.

edit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rLBvObwubQk
Reply
post #5 of 13
7/2/08 at 12:38am
Thread Starter 
Yeah, the lead singer spent most of the performance doing his best Ian Curtis impression. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself when he wasn't singing.
Reply
post #6 of 13
7/2/08 at 11:50am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Spike Marshall View Post
Yeah, the lead singer spent most of the performance doing his best Ian Curtis impression. He didn't seem to know what to do with himself when he wasn't singing.
He comes across as a little uncomfortable with the spotlight. I'm not sure if it's because he's genuinely shy, affecting a pose to maintain a sort of mystique, or possibly just stepping back to let the rest of the band get the attention they deserve.

Berninger's a terrific lyricist and has a lot of vocal presence, but a lot of the National's appeal for me comes from how subtly weird the music is. The drummer, in particular, is constantly bucking convention in how he treats even the slowest, softest songs. You can tell there's also a lot of thought put into how the guitar parts interact, rhythmically. It becomes even more clear if you listen to Clogs, the mostly-instrumental band with Bryce Dessner (guitarist) and Padma Newsome (who's not an official member, but tours with them and plays strings and keys on the albums). Dessner has a really identifiable guitar tone and style.

The problem with the National on this last tour is that they were supporting a great album that happens to consist almost entirely of subdued songs, and they're still a rock band at heart, so they seemed to feel the need to rock them out at the end. When I saw them tour for Alligator, it was much less formulaic. As much as I love Boxer, I hope the next one is a little more like Alligator in its scope - some more rockers like "Mr. November" and "Lit Up" to offset the dark, slow stuff.
Reply
post #7 of 13
7/2/08 at 12:25pm
I'm not feeling particularly eloquent today, but I just have to chime in. The reason I love them so much is because they sound like the perfect distillation of my three favorite bands of yore: The Replacements, The Afghan Whigs, and Arab Strap. I even wrote one of the few fan letters I've ever composed--well, email, anyway--and received a personalized response from every member the next day. All of them confirmed the Whigs influence, the drummer even going so far as to mention he took lessons from the Whigs' first drummer. Yeah, it could have been a push by their PR people (it was right before the release of Alligator, which was the first real media push I noticed), but each response seemed genuine and made my day.
Reply
post #8 of 13
7/2/08 at 12:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Martin Savage View Post
It's probably my favorite band, and they grow on me every time I hear them.
My name is Brendan Leonard, and I endorse this statement. I have to go with "favorite modern band" though -- haven't quite achieved all-time status yet. But they're one of the rare bands whose entire discography I own. Had plans to see them with REM and Modest Mouse last month -- didn't work out. I'm still steamed.

I have to second the love for Alligator over Boxer in terms of an introduction, though. Boxer's a "grower" with some amazing material, but Alligator kicks so much ass from the get-go. ("Lit Up" and "Mr. November" are probably my favorites.)

If you guys are really into them, I reccomend trying to track down the EPs and singles that are out there. There's a remix of "Lit Up" on one of them that really cooks.
Reply
post #9 of 13
7/2/08 at 12:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by bendrix View Post
I'm not feeling particularly eloquent today, but I just have to chime in. The reason I love them so much is because they sound like the perfect distillation of my three favorite bands of yore: The Replacements, The Afghan Whigs, and Arab Strap. I even wrote one of the few fan letters I've ever composed--well, email, anyway--and received a personalized response from every member the next day. All of them confirmed the Whigs influence, the drummer even going so far as to mention he took lessons from the Whigs' first drummer. Yeah, it could have been a push by their PR people (it was right before the release of Alligator, which was the first real media push I noticed), but each response seemed genuine and made my day.
The Whigs thing makes sense - a lot of Berninger's narrators come from the same self-hating place as Greg Dulli's minus a lot of the overt misogyny and a bit more nuance. I don't hear the Replacements, though, to be honest.

I've heard they're pretty nice guys. Some friends of mine met them when they were touring for Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. I think there was some mutual interest in either touring together or signing my friends' band to the label that some of the National guys own - it didn't pan out. In any case, I guess they were very down-to-Earth and took it in stride when one of my friends made fun of the tiny amps the National were using at the time.
Reply
post #10 of 13
7/2/08 at 1:15pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RathBandu View Post
I have to second the love for Alligator over Boxer in terms of an introduction, though. Boxer's a "grower" with some amazing material, but Alligator kicks so much ass from the get-go. ("Lit Up" and "Mr. November" are probably my favorites.)
I think it's probably just that you'll like whichever one you hear first. Because for me, and apparently Spike, Alligator was the one that took a while. Not that it matters in the end, but I think they're different enough that one isn't a strictly better introduction. And "Apartment Story" and "Mistaken for Strangers" are more than catchy or accessible enough to hook you on first listen, anyway, IMO.
Reply
post #11 of 13
7/2/08 at 1:18pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaveB View Post
I don't hear the Replacements, though, to be honest.
I guess it's more in the attitude of lyrics like those in "Here Comes a Regular" or "Left of the Dial" more than the words themselves that I peg in 'Mats territory. I feel the National introduces more nuance to that realm as well. Matt Berninger has cited them as influences in interviews, and while that doesn't always guarantee direct correlation, I've always viewd the 'Mats as spiritual forebears of the National, at least their sadder stuff.

If anything, though, both bands have a true talent at penning beautifully off-kilter anthems like "Bastards of the Young" and "All the Wine."

Also, forgot to mention in my earlier post, but anyone who enjoys The National should check out The Clogs, an instrumental string band composed of National members. It's interesting stuff, but definitely not for everyone. Nice background music, at any rate.
Reply
post #12 of 13
7/2/08 at 1:42pm
I've been listening to Boxer on repeat for 3 days now. Start A War is definitely my favorite song (my upcoming album ends with a duet cover of it) but Green Gloves and Fake Empire are close behind it.

Alligator doesn't do a whole lot for me, but the again, I used to feel the same about Boxer, so maybe I just need to give it moe time.
Reply
post #13 of 13
7/2/08 at 1:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Patrick Ripoll View Post
I've been listening to Boxer on repeat for 3 days now. Start A War is definitely my favorite song (my upcoming album ends with a duet cover of it) but Green Gloves and Fake Empire are close behind it.
Start a War is awesome, but my favorite is, for some unknown reason, Ada. but that Takeaway clip of Start A War is awesome.
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Music
CHUD.com Community › Forums › MUSIC › Music › The National