Most of the National's songs take linear paths, and "Don't Swallow The Cap" is so head-down and arrow-straight it qualifies as Krautrock. In this instance, it's inversely proportional to Matt Berninger's lyrics, which are often loopy and complex and even more averse to a straight reading than usual here. He lays out the conflict in fairly legible terms– "I have only two emotions/ Careful fear and dead devotion/ I can't get the balance right"– and the results are an immeasurable number of unstable, incomprehensible feelings. A… read more
Most of the National's songs take linear paths, and "Don't Swallow The Cap" is so head-down and arrow-straight it qualifies as Kr… read more
Most of the National's songs take linear paths, and "Don't Swallow The Cap" is so head-down and arrow-straight it qualifies as Krautrock. In this instance, it's … read more
The National are an alternative rock band formed in 1999, by friends from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep baritone. The rest of the band is composed of two pairs of brothers: Aaron Dessner (guitar, bass, keyboards), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). Their self-titled debut album"The National" (Brassland 2001) was recorded and released before they had played even a single show. They cut the album with engineer Nick Lloyd and formed a label with writ… read more
The National are an alternative rock band formed in 1999, by friends from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep bariton… read more
The National are an alternative rock band formed in 1999, by friends from Cincinnati, Ohio, USA. The band's lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep baritone. The rest of the band is composed of two pai… read more