The National don't do anything radically different on Boxer, but then again, they don't really need to: their literate, quietly anthemic take on indie rock seemed to have arrived fully formed on their 2001 self-titled debut. Boxer just hones in even more precisely and intimately on the heartfelt territory the band covers, with punchy-yet-polished production and orchestration by the Clogs' Padma Newsome giving these songs an intimacy and widescreen expansiveness that rivals the Arcade Fire. The album's first four songs are among the National's finest work yet: "Fake Empire" begins as a dead-of-night allad that echoes Leonard Cohen, then peppy brass and guitars turn it into something joyous. The brooding "Mistaken for Strangers" touches on the side of the band that could be mistaken for a more hopeful Joy Division, if lyrics like "You wouldn't want an angel watching over you?/Surprise surprise, they wouldn't want to watch" can be counted as hopeful. "Brainy," a borderline obsessive love song, shows off the remarkable, dark chocolate richness of Matt Berninger's vocals and how well they complement the band's occasionally bookish lyrics, while "Squalor Victoria" makes the most of Newsome's lavish string arrangements. The rest of Boxer is subtler, but no less accomplished, with each song supporting the other as a classic album should. "Apartment Story"'s hypnotic chug and "Slow Show"'s witty, knowing affection make them standouts, while the graceful, regretful "Ada" plays more like a short story than a song. As focused as it is ambitious, Boxer is riveting.
So I've been away from MOG for quite some time but I return with today after a harrowing, crazy experience yesterday at All Points West in Liberty Island.Amongst others, Friday's lineup for me consisted of:Fleet FoxesThe NationalVampire WeekendYeah Yeah YeahsJay-Z Seemed like APW was pretty well put together, plenty of bathrooms, concessions, info, etc. After coming off of 3 years of Lollapaloo...
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Hailing from The National's stellar 2007 album Boxer, "Apartment Story" seems almost musically deceitful. A steady guitar drone, organ, and drums propel the song through rhythmically mesmerizing lines about a stereo that "sings to itself or whatever it does/when it sings to itself of its long lost loves".But singer Matt Berninger's lyrics paint an astoundingly compelling portrait of contented a...
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A couple weeks back, on a hot and steamy day in Brooklyn, I met Matt Berninger from The National at a quiet bar with a permanent all-day happy hour. Matt had just returned that week from an extensive European tour and he was just recovering from jetlag and months of bus living. We grabbed lemonades and brews and chatted about things most people don't already know about his album "The Boxer", hi...
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Well, this year I put much more time into my listening and choices. It was an excellent year in music, and I had a really hard time narrowing albums down to two, top 10 lists (and even more trouble putting them in order, except for my absolute favorites). There is still a ton of stuff I haven't gotten to, but towards the end of the year, I just cut myself off from being able to add new conten...
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The big year-end list of albums is up now at PopMatters (http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/52152/the-best-albums-of-2007), and I was assigned to cover The National's Boxer. Here's what I said:Dark brooding and evocative-though without ever laying literal meanings bare-the National's fifth full-length turned a complex formula up several notches. Here, again, as on Alligator, were th...
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Live music addicts would know about that exciting feeling left behind by the end of summer. However it sort of hurts saying “bye” to the dashing summery festivals; they would not feel that bad about the fact that winter is coming. Addicts love it more in smaller venues where it is cozier and the audience is much lesser. And by the end of summer shows; the estimations on what bands might come o
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This is a ridiculously good song. Expertly timed at just three minutes, it lays out a simple rhythm pattern that stays flat while strings build throughout the song until its abrupt end. I'm also really digging the low, slurring vocals. The National lever lets down in the lyric department either, offering a vague poetry that most rock bands just don't have a grasp on. "Boxer" is perhaps not thei...
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Okay, quite a few weeks ago I vowed to, every week, talk about an album that meant something to me that particular week, for whatever reason. But right after that week I had my exams and stuff, so I had to kick some stuff a few weeks back. Now though, I will resume it, with none other than “Boxer” by The National.This album has been hyped up considerably here on Mog, and has made quite a few a
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Until a couple of months ago, I hadn't heard of The National but some of my most trusted music buds were fans, so I checked them out. Suddenly, they were everywhere on MOG, eloquently posted about by "goodmusiconly":http://web01.mog.com/goodmusiconly/blog_post/86531 only last week. (read her posting: it is a great example of what makes MOG so wonderful)...Now, some of you may know I am a bit of...
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Photo:Kyle Gustafson.There was a telling moment during The National’s concert at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. last night. Four songs into the show, lead singer Matt Berninger requested that the stage spotlights be turned down, asserting, “We look a little better with less lights.” While this might have simply been the request of a modest frontman (as Berninger is well-reputed to be), it
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Here we go with another wussy ass wistful pop song with piano...but damn is this song good..and the rest of the album is consistenly good...If you like this song then BUY IT! Think Leonard Cohen meets arcade fire meets clap your hands...cool listening!
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I went a little nuts on this one, nine stars, up today at PopMatters http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/33095/the-national-boxer/The NationalBoxer(Beggars Banquet)US release date: 22 May 2007UK release date: 21 May 2007by Jennifer KellyHoly Shit... They Beat Alligator!I am trying to stay cool here, but it’s difficult. Boxer has just shouldered its brawny way to the top of my so-far-in.
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so boxer finally did leak last week (ignore my previous post on this subject) and damn, is it good! iv been away with my band for a couple of days, but as soon as i gave this a spin on my ipod (technically impossible i know, but you get my drift) on saturday morning i thought to myself "i need to mog about this record". its so good. its very much a follow up to alligator, but the band maintain ...
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to coincide with my previous post about the arcade fire take away show, heres last weeks one starring the national. featuring songs from the band's upcoming album 'the boxer', this episode is equally cool.#40.4 - THE NATIONAL -AdaUploaded by lablogotheque#40.3 - The National - Start a warUploaded by lablogotheque
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Brooklyn-based rockersThe National will have their fourth album, Boxer, released on May 22. The album - the group's second for Beggar's Group - finds the group collaborating with Sufjan Stevens who plays piano on "Racing Like a Pro" and "Ada," according to Billboard magazine. The National's last album, Alligator, found critics raving about it. MOG's Jennifer Kelley (http://mog.com/jenny), revie...
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This is not new... but today I just had to play it again and again!!!His voice does it for me.. big timeI just love this.... simple Stay out super late tonight picking apples, making piesput a little something in our lemonade and take it with uswe're half-awake in a fake empirewe're half-awake in a fake empireTiptoe through our shiny city with our diamond slippers ondo our gay ballet on iceblue...
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The National are heavy hitters for 2007's "Best Of" lists for their album The Boxer. Looking through MOG posts for the band, I didn't see one for the video for "Apartment Story," so here it is.
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Fellow mogger Ciana and I went to see the National @ The Wiltern on Friday night....great show...as a fellow Ohioan, they did me proud...St Vincent was not so great...she had moments, but I think she was a little too ambitious with her multi-instrumentation!But the highlight was as we were leaving...and just like a line from 'Start A War'...we saw C-list celebs and ex Newsradio costars Dave Fo...
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A couple weeks back, on a hot and steamy day in Brooklyn, I met Matt Berninger from The National at a quiet bar with a permanent all-day happy hour. Matt had just returned that week from an extensive European tour and he was just recovering from jetlag and months of bus living. We grabbed lemonades and brews and chatted about things most people don't already know about his album "The Boxer", hi...
More >
Going to see The National at another of my favorite venues this Saturday night, The Basement. As the name implies, it is a super small, wonderfully intimate venue.If you guys don't have the latest National record, Boxer, you are missing out on some great morose, brooding pop. Interesting note about these guys, they are originally from Cincinnati and relocated to Brooklyn...once again proving to...
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After a slow start 2007 turned into a pretty good year in music. True, there were few true masterpieces. There certainly were disappointments: Arcade Fire, Interpol, New Pornographers, Nine Black Alps, Queens Of The Stone Age, Radiohead, Shins, and White Stripes all can do better than the records they released this year. (And please don't bring back the painful memory of the new Stooges record....
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God bless the people at http://www.blogotheque.net/takeawayshows/These videos are so well made, and so unique that i can't help but the share them...and this one is extra nice for me, since I have been on a huge National kick lately...if you don't have either of their records, you are missing out#40.3 - The National - Start a warUploaded by lablogotheque
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The big Idolator poll (http://pop.idolator.com/tag/idolator-pop-07/) went up today, agglomerating the results of some 454 critics. I was a participant, and if you have somehow missed my several-month-long pontification on 2007, you can check my ballot here:http://pop.idolator.com/331581/ballot-jennifer-kellyI have mixed feelings about these averagings of critical preferences, since all the int...
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The big year-end list of albums is up now at PopMatters (http://www.popmatters.com/pm/features/article/52152/the-best-albums-of-2007), and I was assigned to cover The National's Boxer. Here's what I said:Dark brooding and evocative-though without ever laying literal meanings bare-the National's fifth full-length turned a complex formula up several notches. Here, again, as on Alligator, were th...
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Now, I know I'm not the only one who's going apesh*t over The National's latest release, _Boxer_ ... but seriously folks, this album has burned a hole into my psyche and has taken a vice grip to my brain (in a most pleasant way). In the quiet of the wilderness while camping this last weekend, there was one song that was on continuous loop inside my head. Any one of the twelve wonderful songs fr...
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Seeing all your lists made me feel left out. I did post my list on Dale’s post some time ago………but here it is one more time.While looking at this list thinking that this guy Henry sure knows how to put together a fine list………you can listen to this song. A song that entered my mind while taking a shower this morning. Just to keep it PG-13 I will say that I shower fully dressed. I’ve
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I went a little nuts on this one, nine stars, up today at PopMatters http://www.popmatters.com/pm/music/reviews/33095/the-national-boxer/The NationalBoxer(Beggars Banquet)US release date: 22 May 2007UK release date: 21 May 2007by Jennifer KellyHoly Shit... They Beat Alligator!I am trying to stay cool here, but it’s difficult. Boxer has just shouldered its brawny way to the top of my so-far-in.
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Until a couple of months ago, I hadn't heard of The National but some of my most trusted music buds were fans, so I checked them out. Suddenly, they were everywhere on MOG, eloquently posted about by "goodmusiconly":http://web01.mog.com/goodmusiconly/blog_post/86531 only last week. (read her posting: it is a great example of what makes MOG so wonderful)...Now, some of you may know I am a bit of...
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I found a song by The National that I actually like.
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Nr 2 of my top 10 countdown of 2007Band: The NationalTitle: BoxerBest Track: Slow ShowBest Line: “It’s just another uninnocent, elegant fall into the unmagnificent live of adults.”Trivia: The fourth album of The National “Mistaken for Strangers” was the first single Saw them live at De Melkweg Lines of “Slow Show” were already used on the track “29 Years” of their
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Fake Empire |
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| 2 Mistaken for Strangers |
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| 3 Brainy |
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| 4 Squalor Victoria |
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| 5 Green Gloves |
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| 6 Slow Show |
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| 7 Apartment Story |
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| 8 Start a War |
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| 9 Guest Room |
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| 10 Racing Like a Pro |
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| 11 Ada |
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| 12 Gospel |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Boxer")
