The National HHV Records 21 Items

The National HHV Records

The reserved rockers from Ohio

In the midst of the raucous Garage Rock Revival at the beginning of the 21st century, the five-member Ohio-based band The National stood out precisely because of their charming restraint. Inspired by California rockers Pavement, Matt, Aaron, Bryce, Brian, and Scott came together in 1999 after an early unsuccessful band project and recorded their first album, which was released two years later on the partially self-founded indie label Brassland, serving songs in the finest country and Americana style. Their band name serves as a canvas for the five, filled with meaning through lyrics: “We were trying to find a name that didn’t mean anything. That was sort of devoid of any kind of interpretation and wasn’t overly clever,” said lead singer Matt Berninger. The band keeps it equally simple in their instrumentation, relying primarily on guitars and expressive lyrics. The National gained even more attention than with their debut in 2003 with the follow-up Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, whose storytelling reminded of greats like Lou Reed and Nick Cave: the laid-back chamber pop with string arrangements worked especially well on a full-length album and catapulted the band onto the international market – the London-based Uncut magazine eventually crowned the record as the Album of the Year.

Figuring out the Unfathomable

As newcomers to the Beggars Banquet label, The National released Alligator in 2005 – the post-punk-inspired tracks earned the Ohio quintet numerous festival performances and sold-out venues internationally, and with the subsequent album Boxer in 2007, the country enthusiasts could finally prove themselves as major players in the global indie cosmos. The formula for the band’s success has been known since their debut, and yet The National consistently deliver mass-appealing indie rock that touches the heart and tackles lyrical themes of darkness: “You touch the scariest things and that’s how you defuse them. Artists make art because they’re trying to figure out something that’s too hard to figure out in any other form.” Matt Berninger’s vocals always appear reserved, but never emotionless, while the rest of the band weaves the words into dreamy soundscapes. Three years later, they released High Violet on the legendary 4AD label, enlisting guests like Sufjan Stevens, Richard Reed Perry of Arcade Fire, and Justin Vernon of Bon Iver into the studio – the result was, as always, nostalgic and anthemic.

A Spark That Hasn’t Faded

Trouble Will Find Me in 2013 also did not disappoint the fans. With each album, the band manages to elevate themselves thematically, as well as in terms of melodies and dramaturgy. Their now enormous success is due to their tireless work on new songs. It is almost presumed that Berninger describes himself when he sings, “I have only two emotions / Careful fear and dead devotion” – the album was nominated for a Grammy Award. In the same year, the tour documentary Mistaken for Strangers hit theaters, and the band performed on Saturday Night Live for the first time. With the albums Sleep Well Beast and I Am Easy to Find, the American nostalgics further expanded their success, with the former earning them a Grammy Award and their first number-one hit in the United States. Collaborations with Taylor Swift and Phoebe Bridgers made their way onto the record First Two Pages of Frankenstein and the additional surprise album Laugh Track in 2023. But The National have also expressed themselves politically as they supported Barack Obama in his U.S. presidential candidacy and performed a concert for Hillary Clinton in 2016. And even after over 20 years of band history, the five still have the same creative drive in the studio: “The spark in the band hasn’t faded,” says multi-instrumentalist Aaron. A true blessing for the fans.