The National

Formed in 1999, the Ohio-raised, Brooklyn-based band consists of vocalist Matt Berninger fronting two pairs of brothers: Aaron (guitar, bass, piano) and Bryce Dessner (guitar), and Scott (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). Their first full-lengths, 'The National' and 'Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers', and a crucial mini-album, 'Cherry Tree', preceded their signing to Beggars Banquet in 2004. 'Alligator' (2005), included underground anthem "Mr. November", and raised their profile as THE NATIONAL grew into an incendiary live band. 'Boxer' (2007), featuring songs like "Fake Empire", "Mistaken For Strangers" and "Start A War", sold over three times as many copies as its predecessor and saw them transformed from underground stars into an indie rock institution.

By the time their busy season in support of 'Boxer' came to a close they had become a headline attraction in their own right, REM picked them as a crucial part of a US arena tour; and the Barack Obama campaign turned "Fake Empire" into an unstated anthem for his presidential run, using it in the soundtrack to the promotional video Signs Of Hope And Change, and as background music during his victory rally in Chicago's Grant Park.

THE NATIONAL's fifth album, 'High Violet', was released on their new label 4AD on May 11, 2010. Pulses and impulses pull against each other creating a balance of tension. Let's call it musical tensegrity: engineered to stand up in unlikely ways, the album is a triumph of sonic architecture; adorned with unexpected, alchemical, and happenstance details, it is an ornamental wonder. Cathartic, raw and reflective, the record reveals ever deeper musical and lyrical wonders with each listen.