THE NATIONAL: UNDERRATED AND UNDERAPPRECIATED

The National are a band who, since 2005, not only haven’t put a foot wrong, but have grown and developed like no other band from the noughties.

The National are a bottle of fine wine that, since 2005, has aged beautifully. They have shrugged of their imperfections and merged the art of meticulous musical arrangement and cleverly forged lyrics with seeming ease.

Berninger’s ability to tell stories of twisted love and affection is fresh and unique. Whether they are personal tales or fictional stories is cleverly masked and they are wrapped in metaphors and abstract statements. Lyrically, the songs are relatable. Generally, they are stories of love and heartache most people experience but when Berninger steps away from romance and turns to politics, it remains relatable. Berninger shares the views of the many and isn’t afraid to shout and scream about it in a song.

Sonically, The National are on another level to any other band right now. They experiment profusely whilst maintaining an accessible, lounge-rock sound. It is never too much but there is always something quirky, something a little bit different to engage the listener and make them think.

In a live setting, they are something special though. This is where The National thrive. Their ever-growing back catalogue allows them to forge a set list that is quality from start to end. It is a whirlwind of emotion and anger as they smoothly slither between slower, plotted love songs such as ‘I Need My Girl’ to all out noise and ferocity, such as ‘Turtleneck’ and ‘Mr. November’. It is in a live setting where their musical genius becomes evident. They use instruments in ways no other band does for example, simply stomping a guitar onto the stage floor to create a reverberating burst of noise during the aforementioned ‘I Need My Girl’. Something so simple yet so effective.

With a song for every mood The National are one of the hottest bands around right now, but also one of the most underrated. If you're scared to take the plunge due to their large back catalogue, don't be. Work your way backwards from present to past and steadily you'll see where we're coming from, you'll see that we're right.