High Five for "High Violet"

©Brad Dececco

My obsession with the band The National began in the fall of 2005. I was newly single after an 8 year relationship, and learning how to date again. It wasn't pretty, to be kind.

The first song I ever heard lead singer Matt Berninger sing was "Abel", off of the Alligator album. I listened to that song on repeat, Berninger screaming "My mind's not right, my mind's not right" over and over, it made my heart ache (and probably my roommate's head ache, I imagine).


I got a copy of Alligator straight away, to be followed by Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. I printed out the entire two records' worth of lyrics and pored over them like a 13 year old girl, memorizing the entire catalog of songs and being the way-too-old chick in the front row of every show shrieking, "I WON'T fuck us over I'm MR NOVEMBER I'm MR NOVEMBER I WON'T fuck us over!" I would drag friends to shows, some would fall in love with the band, others didn't understand my frenzied love affair with these five guys from Ohio.

One day I rode the Q train with Aaron and Bryce Dessner, the twin guitar players, and I wanted to reach out and touch them, but, you know, that might not have gone over very well. I did sneak several peeks (ok fine I flat out stared at them with a goofy grin on my face all the way to Brooklyn) though.

Another time I saw one of the Devendorf brothers at a concert (I never know which one is Bryan, the drummer, and Scott, the bassist..but I know 'em when I seem 'em!) at BAM, and I ran back from the bathroom screaming like a banshee...but no one I was with cared all that much...so my glee was unshared.

I was lucky enough to be able to see these guys perform at small venues like
Maxwells and Bowery Ballroom, but now they've hit the big time..I can't even get tickets to their shows anymore. They announced a "secret" show a few months back, it sold out in five minutes flat. Which is great...for them...



Their new album, "High Violet", comes out on May 11th, but it is streaming on the New York Times site, along with
this article about them (it is an intense piece, you will need some time to read the entire thing, but if you are a National fan, it's pretty glorious). So far, my favorite song on the album is "Terrible Love", sung in that perfect, tortured way that Matt Berninger does.

Pardon me while I go lock myself in my room, listen to High Violet, and mope in the dark...go check it out here!