HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA.....

It’s Independence Day over on the other side of the pond, and I thought I’d mark the occasion with a wee mention of my favourite American band of the moment….or indeed of the past 15 years or so.

I can’t claim to have known much about The National until around six years ago when someone recommend I give a listen to the LP Alligator. I was hooked instantly. The first thing that hit home was the richness of the vocals of Matt Berninger – it sounded like the great Paul Quinn was singing songs written by Nick Cave or Tindersticks. Having gotten attuned to the vocals, it wasn't too long before the songs themselves made a huge impression. I think I can use the phrase 'banging tunes' without any shame……

Not that the songs you will find on Alligator are poptastic chart-bound radio-friendly sort of things. But I guarantee that if you play them first thing in the morning on tour way to work, they will remain firmly planted in your head for the rest of the day….and it's not an unpleasant feeling.

As much as I loved Alligators, it was the release of Boxer in 2007 that was the clincher. This was a CD I bought the first weekend I arrived in Toronto where I was working for four months and it was rarely off the machine throughout. It's an album that just holds so many memories for me, almost of all them happy. It was a great record to play late at night when you've settled down with a glass of wine after another long stint at the coal-face. As a collection of songs, I never thought they would better it.

And then they released High Violet in early 2010.

Wow.

Quite rightly, it was made record of the year in countless polls and blogs. Incredible quality….and it also sold by the shed-load, reaching #5 here in the UK.

The National are in a sense like REM. The early stuff got them noticed among the critics and allowed them to build up a fanbase. It took me until their third album to pick up on them and I wasn't alone in arriving late to the party.....but compared to the amount of fans they now have, I suppose I was a reasonably early arrival.... but the important thing is that now  they have the success and fame their hard work and enduring quality deserves.

Next month I hope to see them live as I've a ticket to see them play in Glasgow. It's no guarantee in itself as tickets on three previous occasions have been in my possession (including a gig in Toronto back in 2007) but circumstances have been such that work and family commitments have prevented me getting along. But hopefully not this time.

So god bless the United States for bringing us The National. Without any further ado:-

mp3 : The National - Karen
mp3 : The National - Apartment Story
mp3 : The National - Lemonworld
 
And here's a clip that I vividly recall watching in my Toronto apartment and wishing I had the ability to rewind and watch immediately, and then one more time....and another....and another:-



They would return to the same chat show a few years later:-



And finally a promo for a great single:-



Happy Listening