The best National songs make me want to punch holes in walls. Even when they're elegant restrained there is still such unbridled angst and anger amongst the beauty. And dear God is "Terrible Love" beautiful. The slow-boil crescendo percolates to such awesome heights, I get shivers. Shivers, I tell you! Mark your calendar's for May 11's release of High Violet. We sure have.
Terrible Love - The National
and another live stunner:
Runaway - The National
When a band opens their set with a brand new song, one that’s never been released and you haven’t heard before and totally arrests you with its brooding gorgeousness, you know you’re in for a hell of a show. Such was the case with The National during their Friday show at Philly's Electric Factory. The opening tune in this case was the tentatively titled “The Runaway”. If you only remotely liked Boxer (which I daresay is silly of you because it's an album that begs to be LOVED) you should download this song. If you don't even like The National, or have only read about this much hyped band called The National, click the link below, because really this a song, like most National songs is for anyone who's encountered devastating relationship issues and brooded the hell over it. Except The National make art out of angst in only the ways you wish you could. 
Jens Lekman: Night Falls over Kortedala (26.8)Every song on Kortedala joyously unfolds like the start of a newfound love affair, replete with all the smitten excitement, endearing awkwardness and the good kind of nervousness that any worthwhile relationship naturally entails. With its swirling retro-pop samples seamlessly integrated into the Swedish troubadour’s distinctly contemporary tales of romantic melancholy, it’s hard not to be won over by his lyrical wit, aw-shucks charm and total lack of irony. Whether he’s slicing up avocados, getting a haircut or flirting with a deaf girl, Jens effortlessly transforms those mundane little moments into the stuff that magical glockenspiel-laden epiphanies are made of. Doing what few albums this year (or any year) could accomplish: Kortedala inspires, reaffirming life and restoring faith in that crazy little thing called love, for even the most cynical. Don’t let anyone stand in your way.
Of Montreal: Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer? (10.3)Passing on a quick note texted to me from Jess who saw The National live on Friday, the 17th at the free outdoor show at South Street Seaport and snapped us a quick pic from her phone. Amazing! They look just like their album cover!
"My crappy attempt at photographing The National"
July 2 is the midpoint of the year, so we though It'd be nice to do a little review of what we've loved so far. Let me tell you, black is THE color for albums this year. In no order:
Just the highlights. From Kill Rock Stars:
+ The Gossip’s Beth Ditto has an advice column in The Guardian?!
+ Elliott Smith's album New Moon is now streaming at MySpace until tomorrow. After that, you can hear it at virb.com.
+ The Mary Timothy Band's debut album, The Shapes We Make, has a song available for download. Check out Sharpshooter.mp3.
+ Xiu Xiu has a video podcast (live at Neumos in Seattle, WA) available here.
From Asthmatic Kitty:
+ Shapes and Sizes' new album Split Lips, Winning Hips, A Shiner comes out May 22. You can hear it streaming on AK's site now. Download Alone/Alive.mp3 and Head Movin'.mp3.
+ The first 150 people who order it will receive the band's limited release tour EP.
+ S&S tours with The National this spring and summer throughout the Midwest and central Canada (I think I speak for all on the west coast and beyond when I say Wah!)
+ Unusual Animals has a show on May 13 at Union Hall in Brooklyn.Get tickets and go see them with Flying, Stars Like Fleas, and Osso (It's also the release party for the aforementioned new S&S album).
Finally, our buddy Wes debates the tongue-in-cheek term "guilty pleasure" with us as we announce the Guilt By Association compilation, released August 28th.
Dubbed as "Bridging the gap between TRL and Pitchfork, bringing together the indie with the irreverent," I'll let the track list speak for itself:
1. Petra Haden: ”Don't Stop Believin’” (Journey)
2. Devendra Banhart: “Don't Look Back In Anger” (Oasis)
3. Mark Mulcahy: “From This Moment On” (Shania Twain)
4. Luna: “Straight Up” (Paula Abdul)
5. The Concretes: “Back For Good” (Take That)
6. Jim O'Rourke: “Viva Forever” (Spice Girls)
7. Goat: “Sugar We're Going Down” (Fall Out Boy)
8. Will Oldham/Bonnie 'Prince' Billy” “Can't Take That Away” (Mariah Carey)
9. Woody Jackson Orchestra featuring Money Mark: Love's Theme (Love Unlimited Orchestra)
10. Porter Block: ”Breaking Free” (High School Musical)
11. Mooney Suzuki: ”Just Like Jesse James” (Cher)
12. Geoff Farina: “Two Tickets To Paradise” (Eddie Money)
13. Casey Shea: “Chop Suey” (System of a Down)
14. Superchunk: “Say My Name” (Destiny's Child)
15. Mike Watt: “Burning For You” (Blue Oyster Cult)
Will Oldham covers Mariah Carey? Devendra Banhart covers Oasis? ANYbody is covering Paula Abdul, Eddie Money and Take That?? This is either the GREATEST or WORST thing to ever happen to music. It's certainly the guiltiest.
This album's been leaked here and there already, but for those who haven't gotten a glimpse at this treasure, we offer you a tease. Because, really, if you knew them well already then you'd already have it, but if you didn't, then here you have a chance at learning without an onslaught of hype, or a barrage of context-less tracks.
Slated for a May 22 release, this indie alt-rock group seems to know their audience well already. The National's borrowing of Thomas Bartlett (of Doveman)'s talents, as well as Sufjan Stevens tickling the ivories on two tracks (Racing Like a Pro and Ada), helps narrow their definitive sound under the expanded umbrella definition of indie rock. A satisfying tenor voice and confident guitar are hallmarks here, the equivalent of a big meal after subsisting on frozen appetizers for weeks.
Eat up:
01 Fake Empire
02 Mistaken for Strangers
03 Brainy
04 Squalor Victoria
05 Green Gloves
06 Slow Show
07 Apartment Story
08 Start a War
09 Guest Room
10 Racing Like a Pro
11 Ada
12 Gospel
The National - Ada.mp3
You can pre-order Boxer from Amazon.com (and save a whopping .99? Be still our beating hearts).
