| Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, and Scott Devendorf Matt Berninger – Vocals The National are five displaced Ohioans living in New York: Scott and Bryan Devendorf (guitar & drums); Aaron and Bryce Dessner (bass & guitar); and Matt Berninger (vocals)--two sets of brothers and one best friend. They play smart, naked, and bracing rock music. Though rooted in the electric rock sound of their native Midwest--Guided by Voices, Afghan Whigs, Palace Brothers--their debut effort possesses a romantic pessimism that transcends the coal-and-pesticide confines of the interior. One critic proclaimed, "It's a bildungsroman penned in smoke...The National is that band who right now makes me feel something." (Buffalo ArtVoice) The self-titled album met with unanimous critical accolades when it was released in the United States in 2001. It was lauded in such tastemaking publications as No Depression and AllMusic.com. The Boston Phoenix notes, "[It's] a self-assured, well-written debut from a band who get just about everything right. The National understand that the best rock is built on tension carved from contradictory impulses: simplicity and sophistication; decadence and decorum; primal urge and cerebral reflection." Billboard.com writes, "Full of simple songs that convey complex emotions, this dazzling debut should be the portent of good things to come." Audiogalaxy.com says The National "filter through the endless barrage of sameness in music today...the National is already a perfect example of what Indie Rock should be, and what it could become if it only tried." Well made, epic, anthematic, this record has the makings of an underground classic. At the very least PrivyMagazine.com says it's "easily the sleeper pick of the year." There's a heartbeat backbeat, the weave of guitars, distant keys, and longing melodies as earnest as an American tourist. The roue-voiced Berninger sings a cycle of songs in which "fading love lingers just enough to keep [him] tortured by all the things he could have done." (The New York Times) More about storytelling and great songwriting than hip atmosphere, the National offer a cycle of songs about loss, life, women and men. They bring to mind classic artists such as Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, The Band, and Tom Waits...or contemporaries such as the Tindersticks and Silver Jews. (We've even heard comparisons from Springsteen to The Smiths, Johnny Cash to Joy Division, Wilco to Bob Dylan.) We'd rather you just think about your first kiss, your last kiss, or that [insert adj.] day in [insert month] when [insert name] left you. Southern is issuing the National's eponymous debut in Europe in October 2002. Tour plans for 2002-2003 include dates in the Americas and Europe, starting with a US jaunt with singer-songwriter Dan Bern. The band is currently in the studio, recording a follow-up slated for release in 2003. |