The lyric "I'm a birthday candle in a circle of black girls/God is on my side" has always struck me as an uncomfortable line. I know it's not meant in some weird, conservative racist way or anything and I like the song, but ehhhh.

CMG: Well, that’s one of my favorite things about the album, that it’s very self-aware and it can make fun of itself. You have all these non-sequitor lines, I have to ask you about a couple – where did “ballerina on a coffee table / cock in hand” and “I’m a birthday candle in a circle of black girls” come from and what’s the significance of those lines?
MB: Both of those are delusional moments. The coffee table line is just an expression of making a complete ass of yourself but it’s filled with libido and irresponsibility and drunken buffoonery. It’s both funny and sad and pathetic. There’re lines that do that, that just kind of spin in it in a ridiculous way, but they’re actually kind of the more important lines in the song. The circle of black girls, the birthday candle thing is just very self-conscious. I grew up in Cincinnati in a very white neighborhood and went to like an all-white school. And really living in Brooklyn now, when I first moved here, I was very aware of being a nerdy white guy. The birthday candle is this sort of image of a skinny, awkward white guy in the middle of all these beautiful black people and it doesn’t have any more meaning than being self-conscious but also being sort of delusional and a fantasy image – it’s obviously not any kind of literal thing, but it’s a weird way of expressing the feeling of feeling awkward.

Black people making white people uncomfortable: the state of indie rock.

tv on the radio: transcending indie rock

Now Playing: TV on the Radio - Kid A

"All Dolled-Up in Straps" is my jam. just can't get enough of it.

it's so weird that a lot of the lyrical complaints in this thread are about a BIG part of what i like about this band. i think he's one of the best lyricists/singers going these days.

ditto.

i third that sentiment

The National - So Far Around The Bend

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=8aea7c4...04e75f6e8ebb871

from the upcoming AIDS benefit comp.

it's from a Portuguese FM podcast (thus the talking over the intro), but sounds fantastic. some nice Strawberry Field's-esque horns going on.

god.



fucking hell.

the Daytrotter version of 'Lucky You' is one of teh best things these guys have recorded, says I.


These guys are excellent. Thanks for upping the new track, Solace. I listened to the podcast and enjoyed what I heard. I'll be giving it a better listen later tonight.

Cardinal Song is my thing, especially the last little bit of it.

Can't wait to listen to that new one.

i plan on picking that comp up. interesting enough tracklist and for agood cause? worth it in my eyes.

anyhow, i'll be abstaining from that track until then.

Looks like they will be doing a short NA tour

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/news...ule-spring-tour


03-08 St. Augustine, FL - Harvest of Hope Festival
05-21 Toronto, Ontario - Kool Haus
05-22 Montreal, Quebec - Metropolis
05-23 Boston, MA - House of Blues
05-24 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05-25 Washington, DC - 9:30 Club
05-27 Atlanta, GA - Variety Playhouse
05-28 Raleigh, NC - Maymendi Concert Hall
05-29 Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory

Damnit, I'd wish they'd play a proper Chicago club show already. And no, Lolla or opening for fricking REM dosent count.

they've played the pontiac, schubas, double door, metro and the vic. it's not like there haven't been opportunities.

I didnt get into the band until around 2 years ago, so I kind of missed out on that. I guess its easy to get spoiled living here...

i've been in to the National for a while, but I'm yet to see them in a proper club, as well.

Either way, I'm sure I'll get my chance. And I'm sure it'll be glorious.

So it's a mixed metaphor? The birthday candle is metaphorical and the black girls are literal? Kind of lame, actually.

um... i was at that Lolla set, and in my mind it COUNTED. amazing set, best i have ever seen them pull off.


The Pontiac?! damn, that must have been cool.

Yeah, that Lolla set was beyond great. The ending one-two of Fake Empire and Mr. November might have been the best moment(s) of the weekend.

Very very happy they'll be playing in Toronto, but damn, these are some big venues.

Im sure the Lolla set was great; I watched the stream. However, I was not about to put up with the clusterf*ck to experience it firsthand

i watched about 10 minutes of that lolla set and then headed over to see mark ronson. the best set i've ever seen from the national was at schubas. that would be hard to top. everyone i know who was there loved it.

and i should point out i wasn't at the pontiac show. matt mentioned it when they played DD (since they're right next to each other, even though i think the pontiac's closed now) and said there were 2 people to see them that night.

Hear two more National songs live here:

http://onethirtybpm.com/2009/02/12/mp3-two...up-your-saints/

Karamazov is stunning/beautiful/gorgeous/amazing.

I haven't heard the other one yet...

The National are my favorite band and Karamazov gets a big meh from me.

those 2 songs are decent, but i'm not really one to judge songs based on their very first performance live (or live without having a studio counterpart)...

Get over yourself. Those are great lyrics in great songs.

Maybe we should just stick with "Young money nigga". So......thought provoking.

These two new songs are pretty "meh". They sound like National songs. Not that different from the Boxer stuff. But nothing exciting. Why are we waiting until 2010 for this new album, by the way? What's the hold-up?

Strawman argument. Nobody's praising "Young money nigga" lyrics. Berninger, on the whole, is a good lyricist. But even the best songwriters can be hit-or-miss. I think "All the Wine" is full of good lyrics, but "I'm a birthday candle in a circle of black girls" is a miss for me.

I thought this one sounded great. I'm definitely thinking it could become a highlight of The National's catalog once they refine it. The other one sounded good too, although not quite as epic. Also, I though they were pretty distinguishable from Boxer. The National always does a good job of making every album sound distinct yet completely recognizable.

still haven't heard the new tunes yet but enough of this national bashing from mr. UR

I like myself a lot more than I like that line. Deal. The National are still alright in my book.

Ditto on the strawman comment.

Hans, I celebrate their entire catalog.

i know i'm just being a fanboy

The new song I listened to was kind of The National-by-the-numbers. First time I've ever thought to use that phrase with them. Not that it really matters though... The album's still a year off; who knows how the song will turn out. Probably amazing.

So Far Around The Bend kicks ass, so i'm not gonna worry just yet

plus their last 3 albums are fantastic... they've earned my trust at this point

well, this is the best band so it's likely the next album will be something i listen to much

just found out they are playing in london in august.
not many tickets left (as you'd expect) just scraped in the back row of the balcony!

so far around the bend is really pretty but a little too busy w/ instrumentation + orchestration for my liking (of this band at least). i hope the next album isn't too sufjan-y, for lack of a better term, but in bits its just fine.

Interview on pitchfork talks a bit about the album, which is still quite far off.

http://pitchfork.com/news/34969-the-nation...national-album/

They totally should call it Caligula.

i agree, caligula would be a great name for the next national record.

listened to this band for the first time in a while last night (outside of the DWTN track, i guess). holy hell are they something special, i almost forgot.

I think it was in another thread where The National got brought up, but I could have swore that Chrono or somebody on the board was adamant that the next National album had to be one word and start with a C for that same very reason. Maybe the next album should be called Chrono.

http://soundopinions.org/forum/index.php?s...st&p=805365

when I first heard of the national, I had thought Alligator was their debut, and Boxer being the follow up, and that's how they were going to continue their career. I vote for Crocodile

i stand behind this




i hope there's an eight minute epic on Crocodile. seems like a logical next step for the band to try for something looser in scope but tight as ever in execution.

anyone scroll down far enough past 9.0timest today to catch this gem? gorgeous. here's pforks blurb before the embed:





holy fuck this song is lovely. i hope this record comes out in december and is hands down the best record of 2009 (or the decade), snuck in at the last minute possible.

Didn't that one used to be called Karamazov?

Said it before, but... A little too !THE NATIONAL! for me. And they're my favorite band. Sounds like a slower "Slow Show."

interesting. thats the first i've heard of it. i agree it's very "the national!," however that's hardly a complaint. honestly after 3-4 listens i'm fairly ready to call this one of the groups finer songs. just gorgeous.

Ha I've vowed to only listen to the live songs once.

Song is gorgeous, but a little long. Should it make the record, I'd hope they would do something to earn the length.

That said, I wouldn't mind another National album like "Boxer," but I would certainly think more of the band if they went someplace new.