The National Writing For New Album
The National
December 16, 2008 10:59 AM ET
Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.
The National is "pretty far into the process of writing" its next album, which the band will record starting in April in group member Aaron Dessner's new home studio in Brooklyn's Ditmas Park neighborhood.

The new album will be the follow-up to 2007's "Boxer" (Beggars Banquet), which has sold a career-best 147,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The National is unlikely to return to the road until summer 2009, but will hit the stage Feb. 3 for the annual Tibet House benefit at New York's Carnegie Hall, alongside Philip Glass, Patti Smith and Vampire Weekend.

As previously reported, Aaron and his brother Bryce curated the upcoming AIDS benefit album "Dark Was the Night," due Feb. 17 from Beggars. The star-studded project boasts exclusive songs from Yo La Tengo, My Morning Jacket, Spoon, Bon Iver and Iron & Wine, among many others.

In the meantime, the Dessners have been collaborating on an instrumental project "focused on taking the way we play together and developing arrangements," Aaron Dessner tells Billboard.com.

"We did a few performances over the summer while we were on tour, like at festivals in France and Italy," Dessner says. "We performed at the White Cube Gallery in London while David Shepherd was manipulating the sound. It was really fun and inspiring."

The siblings will play again with Shepherd next month during an event at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and will also perform at the Bryce Dessner-organized Music Now Festival in Cincinnati.

"We're gearing up for possibly a really big performance together next fall, and then maybe to make a record," Dessner says. "This feeds our brains and lets us push ourselves. Either that, or it's incessant noodling."

At the outset, the duo was informally named Big Red Machine in a nod to the Dessners' Cincinnati hometown, but the brothers are now just going by their own names. "We think the Reds would get pissed off," Dessner says with a laugh. "They have the trademark."

this is one of the two or three seminal indie rock outfits right now

Boxer, while really great, is extremely mannered. I hope the band cuts loose a bit for this next one. I sense that chances of this happening are slim, but I can hope.

Yeah, after the success of Boxer I doubt there'll be anything like Murder Me Rachel or Available. Shame, because when Berninger lets loose vocally it's incredible. Not the typical "just so" scream where on the paper the lyrics were originally written on it probably said (SCREAM:). He sounds like he's totally losing his shit.

I read that Berninger told some people at a concert that it was probably going to be called "Shine." Sure hope not.

according to their email list it's not gonna see day until 2010. however, that dressner comp looks sweet.

needless to say i'm quite looking forward to this one release day aside.

Isn't it still a bit early for them to be seminal?

2010? Bleghhh. If that's true it's like being punched in the stomach.

I think they're probably my favorite band.

Not the way people orgasm all over for this band.

"my mind's not right" is the lyric of this generation, no doubt.

idk guys... i got to sit in on a few of their soundchecks over the past year and a half and heard them fool around with a few new songs, one of which was super heavy/punky, so we'll see..

the other one or two are Spoon and a toss up of a bunch of different bands that i don't like as much (Hold Steady, Wilco, etc.)

Well I do like the sound of that, then.

please no

lucky you is a masterpiece. i'd put it ahead of karen and maybe all the wine too (of those mentioned thus far). jesus what an incredible band, so many top tier songs.

did anyone hear that "around the bend" song they were playing earlier this year? someone posted an mp3. anyhow, a finished version is what's ending up on that dressner comp. now retitled "so far around the bend." the live version was good and i'm hoping the studio version is even better.

i wish the black lips thread had this kind of devotion

Yeah this is fast becoming a fanboy circlejerk but god, this band is amazing. All the Wine is probably my favorite lyrically. Come on.

I'm in a state... I'm in a state...

You know what gets no love but is one of my favorite National tunes?

Lucky You

I've put it on repeat for entire car rides of varying lengths.

I wonder if you guys all have vivid feelings and memories attached to this music

Apparently Bruce liked our version [of "Mansion on the Hill"]. But unfortunately I left right after the song to come home and watch "The West Wing", and it turns out the rest of the guys in the band drank whiskey with him for an hour or so. I kinda missed that opportunity. But it was a good time.

"Cinderella through the room. I glide and swan 'cause I’m the best slow dancer in the universe."

Brilliant.

Like the New Pornographers, I think the National's lyrics are their weak point. Stuff like the line you quoted is kinda pretty in a meaningless sorta way...but gimme a straight-up Westerberg/Morrissey line I can relate to over that nonsense any day.

that line makes plenty of sense to me... *shrug*