(The) National Pride

Photo by Rachel Been, Spinner.com

The indie-rock band The National recently announced they will be releasing a fifth studio album in May, accompanying a full US and European tour (they booked a June show at House of Blues in Boston and have a gig lined up with Pavement in Paris). The album, which is a follow-up to the band’s last successful work, Boxer, is yet to be named.

Known for their dreamy guitar riffs, gruff vocals, and catchy, nostalgic wordplay, the band was first accepted into the indie-rock scene when they released Alligator in April of 2005. Press outlets like Pitchfork and Stereogum started listing The National on “best album” lists, making the band’s decade-long stint of touring New York City clubs and bars finally worth it.

I interviewed the lead singer, Matt Berninger, three years ago when I was a student at Penn State University and then again when I saw the band live at The Roxy in Boston two years ago. In the year between interviews, The National had exploded into a trendy indie-pop sensation, charting more radio play and and selling out shows nation wide—a sharp change of pace for the four-piece band in their thirties. Berninger was grateful. The band had been on the road for a solid year promoting their fourth album, and although worn, the band wasn’t about to take their success for granted.

Although The National didn’t release an album in 2009, they did help organize and release Dark Was The Night—an indie-rock compilation that benefited Red Hot, an international organization dedicated to fighting AIDS. The National’s Dessner brothers, Aaron and Bryce, arranged for some of the top indie artists to create exclusive tracks for the compilation, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for the campaign. Recent profits from the album’s sales will be donated to Red Hot’s Haiti relief efforts.

So now in 2010, with the most attention they’ve garnered for an upcoming album yet, how will the band make this one different from the others? More anthemic songs? Epic instrumentation? Another Sufjan cameo? I eagerly await the release.

For more information on The National, visit http://americanmary.com.

About Jennifer Brown

Jennifer Brown (COM '10) is a music writer for the Quad. She started working with national indie music acts and booking shows/interviews during her sophomore year of high school at Penn State's WKPS. She then traveled to Germany and explored the techno/HAUS scene and her love for all-things German. After that she worked at WKPS some more before finding her "home" at Boston University where she was a music director at WTBU. She has since added to her resume Pirate Promotion and Management, On A Friday, and the Cambridge Chronicle. Jen is now in Germany, taking some classes and booking shows.

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