Alligator (Vinyl) ~ The National (Artist) Cover Art

Alligator (Vinyl)

By: The National (Artist)

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The National Artist Snapshot:

Respected indie band the National--two pairs of brothers plus singer/lyricist Matt Berninger--formed in Ohio, but moved to Brooklyn in the early aughts before seriously embarking on the recording and touring that would garner them their initial public attention. Two albums and an EP released on the small Brassland label, and many live gigs, helped establish the band as talented songsmiths with an ear for melody, gritty and emotionally honest lyrics, and a protean sound that ranges from strings-laden pop to pummeling rock to reflective folkiness, like a gruffer version of the Shins. Switching to the Beggars Banquet label in 2005 provided the promotional boost the band needed to become a widely praised, and in fact truly "national," outfit.

Product Description

Track Listing

DISC 1 for Alligator (Vinyl) Album By The National (Artist)
1   Secret Meeting  
2   Karen  
3   Lit Up  
4   Looking For Astronauts  
5   Daughters Of The Soho Riots  
6   Baby, We'll Be Fine  
7   Friend Of Mine  
8   Val Jester  
9   All The Wine  
10   Abel  
11   Geese Of Beverly Road, The  
12   City Middle  
13   Mr. November  
 

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Review

Uncut (p.94) - 5 stars out of 5 - "[B]uried in the richness of their music, there's a spare elegance unheard since The Triffids....They feed an energy more residual than that of The Rapture or The Strokes."
Magnet (p.53) - Ranked #10 in Magnet's "The 20 Best Albums Of 2005" - "Once inside, you're privy to literate songs about conflicted men, unhinged minds and worried heroes."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 - "[The album] walks the same Cold War-era Bowery streets as Interpol but is not more than a half step away from lysergic brilliance."

Title Note

The National: Matt Berninger (vocals); Scott Devendorf (guitar, bass guitar); Bryce Dessner (guitar); Aaron Dessner (guitars, bass guitar); Bryan Devendorf (drums).

The National's debut for Beggars Banquet Records boasts eloquent production and some of frontman Matt Berninger's finest songs. The Brooklyn band's sound includes elements of folk and swirling indie rock, with Berninger's literate, emotive tunes drawing heavily on the tradition of melancholic singer/songwriters. On "Daughters of the Soho Riots," Berninger's baritone croon recalls Gordon Lightfoot, yet his lyrics are incisive, confessional, and decidedly contemporary. The combination of surreal imagery and genuine pathos in "Baby, We'll Be Fine" (expressed in the song's repeated refrain) is also representative of Berninger's craft.

Two pairs of brothers--Aaron and Bryce Dessner (guitars) and Scott and Bryan Devendorf (bass and drums, respectively)--keep things alternately chiming, churning, and appropriately atmospheric. The startling relationship sketch "Karen," for example, rides a light rock pulse dominated by piano and augmented by strings, making it one of the album's shining moments. "All the Wine" turns Berninger's usually dark self-exploration on its head with its semi-ironic self-aggrandizement. ALLIGATOR's 13 tracks testify to the National's standing as one of the more distinctive and absorbing bands around.

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