The National (band)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The National
Matt Berninger (2007)
Matt Berninger (2007)
Background information
Origin Cincinnati, Ohio; Brooklyn, New York
Genre(s) Indie rock
Years active 1999–present
Label(s) Beggars Banquet, Brassland
Website americanmary.com
Members
Matt Berninger
Aaron Dessner
Bryce Dessner
Bryan Devendorf
Scott Devendorf

The National is a Brooklyn-based indie rock band formed in 1999, by friends from Cincinnati, Ohio. Influences range from Bruce Springsteen to Tindersticks. The band's morose, self-deprecating lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep baritone. The rest of the band comprises two pairs of brothers: Aaron & Bryce Dessner and Scott & Bryan Devendorf. Padma Newsome, from sister band Clogs, often contributes strings, keyboards, and other arrangements and instrumental flourishes.

Contents

[edit] History

When the band was formed in 1999 by a group of Ohio friends, it was called The National, although, according to an interview with Better Propaganda, the Web site is found at www.americanmary.com because, "[i]t's a song off our first record. We never thought of changing the name, although we should have. The National is a pretty sucky name, but American Mary would have been worse."[1] Several of the members continued to work day jobs throughout the early years, being involved in New York's dot-com boom in the late 1990s. Their first self-titled album The National was eventually released in 2001 on Brassland Records, a label founded by band members Aaron and Bryce Dessner, along with their friend Alec Hanley Bemis. Their debut album launched the band's career, as they had performed few live shows before its release.[citation needed] The release was followed two years later by another album, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. In 2004, they released the mini-album Cherry Tree which included live favorite "About Today" and "All the Wine" which would also appear on their next record.

In 2005 the band quit their jobs and moved to a new label, Beggars Banquet Records, because the process of running their own label was becoming "too complicated" [1]. Their first album on this label, Alligator, was met with much critical acclaim and featured highly in "Album of the Year" charts in the LA Times, Insound, Uncut, and many other publications [2]. This album gave the band increased exposure.

Their latest album, Boxer, was released on May 22, 2007, and has also received widespread critical praise [3]. The album features contributions from various guest artists including Sufjan Stevens and Doveman (aka Thomas Bartlett). It received #2 best album of the year by stereogum.com and #1 best album of the year by Paste magazine. Their song "Slow Show" from Boxer was featured on NBC's new series, Chuck and the CW's One Tree Hill in its current fifth season.

In summer of 2008 they, along with Modest Mouse, opened for R.E.M. on the promotional tour for their new album Accelerate.

In 2008 they designed a t-shirt for the Yellow Bird Project to raise money for Safe Space, a New York based charity that provides assistance to underprivileged children and families.

[edit] Discography

[edit] Albums

[edit] EPs

[edit] Singles

  • "Lit Up" (Beggars Banquet Records, March 14, 2005)
  • "Secret Meeting" (Beggars Banquet Records, August 29, 2005)
  • "Abel" (Beggars Banquet Records, November 14, 2005)
  • "Mistaken For Strangers" (Beggars Banquet Records, April 30, 2007)
  • "Apartment Story" (Beggars Banquet Records, November 5, 2007)

[edit] Interviews

[edit] References

  1. ^ Better Propaganda Interview with Matt Berninger

[edit] External links