The National, love 'em or hate 'em

I love The National. I can’t decide which I love most, the slightly monotone/sad baritone voice of Matt Berninger, or his somber but strangely real lyrics. Though they have a lot of fans, The National is an acquired taste. The music they play is not for everyone. Most of their songs are a tad morose. They’re about fears and insecurities in personal relationships and about living in today’s society. Not happy feel good music. It may take listening one, two, or ten times to decide if you love ‘em or hate ‘em. People usually either get ‘em or they don’t. But if their music is given a chance and allowed to get in and simmer just under the skin, that’s all it takes. They’ve got you. Below is a small sampling of the music and fav lyrics that “got me”.

Slow Show

(love the steady drum beat, the piano, and especially the mental image of a man who wants to run home and put on a “slow dumb” show and crack her up… what a man ;))
Standing at the punch table swallowing punch
can’t pay attention to the sound of anyone
a little more stupid, a little more scared
every minute more unprepared

Cardinal Song

(my current fav song…oh the voice in this one, so sad and beautiful)

never tell the one you want that you do

save it for the deathbed

when you know you kept her wanting you

90-Mile Water Wall

(where, oh where is that elusive trap door trigger?)
so how could your hair
have the nerve to dance around like that, blowing
and how could the air
have the nerve to blow your hair around like that

Lucky You

(mistook this for a love song at first; it's not)
you coulda made a safer bet
but what you break is what you get
you wake up in the bed you make
I think you made a big mistake

About Today

(short on words and long on tragic strings)
How close am I to losing you



the man behind the voice, Tom Berninger

 

The National

  The National website: http://www.americanmary.com/