News
Lineup Featuring Sharon Van Etten, The Antlers, and others
Jan 18, 2012
By Mike Hilleary
This year's All Tomorrow's Parties festival, taking place Dec. 7-9 at the Butlins Holiday Centre in England, has confirmed that New York's The National will serve as its curator and headlining musical act. More
The National, She & Him, Jónsi Also on the List
Dec 20, 2011
By Mike Hilleary
Close to 40 songs have been shortlisted for this year's Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. More
Montreal's Hometown Hero Joins The Band
Dec 12, 2011
By Mike Hilleary
Just days after debuting two new songs and bringing on Bon Iver's Justin Vernon onstage for a performance of "Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks," The National continued to provide audiences along the last bit of their North American tour with surprises when Matt Berninger was joined by Arcade Fire's Win Butler to sing The Boxer's "Start a War." More
Also Interview with Justin Vernon about Grammy Comments, Liquor Endorsement, and Kanye West
Dec 09, 2011
By Margot Cooper Gruen
Last night The National Performed for CBC Radio in Toronto. They were joined by Bon Iver's Justin Vernon. Check out the video here. More
Dec 09, 2011
By Laura Studarus
Yes, we all know The National released excellent album High Violet last year—but that’s certainly not going to keep the band from releasing new material. More
Aug 10, 2011
By Mike Hilleary
Those among the gaming community experienced a cool treat not too long ago when The National contributed a new song "Exile Vilify" to the soundtrack of the critically acclaimed first-person puzzle solver Portal 2. More
Opening Dates For The Decemberists, The National, Okkervil River and More
Jul 27, 2011
By Margot Cooper Gruen
Wye Oak has announced more fall tour dates in support of March release, Civilian. More
Contest Deadline: July 15
Jun 17, 2011
By Lauren Barbato
ATTN music-loving aspiring filmmakers: The National want YOU to make them a video. We have the details of the contest. More
Wye Oak, Yo La Tengo, Neko Case, and Sharon Van Etten Along For The Ride
Jun 08, 2011
By Laura Studarus
Since High Violet is the gift that keeps giving, The National are set to hit the road. We have the dates. More
Apr 19, 2011
By Mike Hilleary
The National have unveiled a new single today entitled, "Exile Vilify," a track written exclusively for the soundtrack of the recently released video game Portal 2. More
'Grinderman 2' Drops on Record Store Day
Apr 13, 2011
By Lauren Barbato
Celebrate Record Store Day with this exclusive 12" release from Nick Cave's Grinderman and Matt Berninger. More
Mar 31, 2011
By Mike Hilleary
After messing around as secret service agents with Mad Men's John Slattery and comedian Kristen Schaal, The National have unveiled a video for a new original song entitled, "Think You Can Wait." More
Mar 09, 2011
By Mike Hilleary
MTV has gotten its hands on the latest music video by former Under the Radar cover subjects The National, performing the song "Conversation 16." More
Local Natives, Okkervil River Join Them on the Road
Feb 18, 2011
By Lauren Barbato
Fresh off their Grammy win for Album of the Year—which nearly caused a Twitter meltdown as a result of angry and/or confused tweeters—Arcade Fire is heading on the road for a full U.S. tour. More
The Road From Memphis Out May 10
Feb 17, 2011
By Laura Studarus
As a Grammy winner and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer, Booker T. Jones has a pretty remarkable Rolodex. That was made clear by the announcement of new album, The Road From Memphis (out May 10 via ANTI-Records). More
Feb 02, 2011
By Laura Studarus
Last night, The National stopped by Late Night With David Letterman to play “Conversation 16.” More
Lineup, Dates for First International Fest Announced
Jan 28, 2011
By Lauren Barbato
Today, Jane's Addiction frontman and Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell announced the dates and lineup for Lollapalooza Chile. We have the details. More
“Silent Night”/ “Barcarola”
Dec 21, 2010
By Laura Studarus
In a recent BBC 6 Mix, The National brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner unleashed a bit of Christmas cheer in the form of two unreleased tracks by their pal, Sufjan Stevens. More
From Last Year's Dark Was The Night
Dec 01, 2010
By Laura Studarus
Last year, Dark Was the Night compilation grouped together high profile indie artists (including Sufjan Stevens, Dirty Projectors, The National, Arcade Fire and Yeasayer among others) to raise money for AIDS research. Today, on World AIDS Day, the project was declared a success, as over one million dollars was donated to AIDS charities. More
The Flaming Lips, Belle and Sebastian Among Acts Announced.
Nov 15, 2010
By Lauren Barbato
Primavera promoters have announced today a slew of buzz-worthy acts joining Pulp for the epic five-day fest, which runs from May 25th through the 29th in Barcelona, Spain. More
Features Footage From an Obama Rally in Madison, WI
Oct 20, 2010
By Laura Studarus
Because a band on the road is in want of camera, today The National released an alternate version of “Terrible Love.” We have the video. More
Second Disc Sports Unreleased Tunes and B-sides
Sep 28, 2010
By Kyle Lemmon
This past spring, Brooklyn indie-rock kings The National issued their epic fifth LP, High Violet, which debuted in Billboard's top five and received major feature love from us. On November 22, the moody band will take a victory lap when 4AD releases High Violet's two-disc expanded edition. More
Musicians and Actors on Their Childhood Memories
Jul 29, 2010
By Mark Redfern
Under the Radar's Summer 2010 issue is a special issue we're calling the Wasted on the Youth Issue. The basic idea of the issue was to talk to musicians and actors about various facets of their childhood/teenage years, from their first favorite bands/concerts to childhood memories to movies/TV shows of their youth, etc. We were interested in talking to musicians and actors about some of their earliest memories and their childhood passions. Many of the articles include childhood or teenage photos of the musicians interviewed. We have the full details on the issue that includes these artists: The National, The Antlers, Fred Armisen, Camera Obscura, Judah Friedlander, Fucked Up vs. Devo, Here We Go Magic, Jim James, Jónsi, Kele, The Kids in the Hall, Liars, Local Natives, Menomena, Chloë Grace Moretz, Elisabeth Moss, Portishead, Robert Rodriguez, School of Seven Bells, Tegan and Sara, Russell Tovey, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Edgar Wright, and many more! More
Dirty Projectors, Arcade Fire, Spoon, and The National to Keep Him Company
Jul 13, 2010
By Laura Studarus
Violinist turned orchestral pop maestro Owen Pallet is heading out on tour. Pallett may perform with little more than a looping pedal and a distinctive chuckle, but he won’t be alone. He’ll be meeting up (and supporting)Dirty Projectors, Arcade Fire, Spoon, and The National. We have the dates. More
Jul 12, 2010
By Laura Studarus
Treasure Island has announced its lineup for the 2010 festival, held October 16th and 17th on Treasure Island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay. Split evenly between dance music and indie rockers, headliners includeLCD Soundsystem and Deadmau5 (Saturday) and Belle & Sebastian and The National (Sunday). We have the full lineup. More
Epic String of Dates Kicks Off Today In Boston
Jun 02, 2010
By Laura Studarus
In support of High Violet, The National is kissing friends and family goodbye and hitting the road for a world tour that can best be described as epic. We have the full dates. More
Yeasayer, Spoon, Vampire Weekend, and Monsters of Folk, Among Others, Set to Play
May 18, 2010
By Laura Studarus
Festival fans rejoice, the lineup for 2010’s Austin City Limits has been announced. Lineup includes Muse, Flaming Lips, LCD Soundsystem, Spoon, and Vampire Weekend, among others. We have the full details. More
“Afraid of Everyone” but Sufjan
May 14, 2010
By Laura Studarus
Last night, The National brought "Afraid of Everyone," a cut off recently released album, High Violet, to The Late Show With David Letterman. The solid musicality and enjoyable performance wasn't a surprise. The presence of notoriously late-night shy Sufjan Stevens, however, was. We have the video. More
May 11, 2010
By Kyle Lemmon
The National's fifth LP, High Violet, came out today in the U.S., and the band's taken to the Internet to upload a music video for its lead single, "Bloodbuzz Ohio." The clip was helmed by Andreas Burgess, Carin Besser, and Hope Hall. It features leader Matt Berninger wandering outside all by his lonesome. Director D.A. Pennebaker makes a cameo as a barkeep. We have the video. More
Will Also Play With Phantogram
Apr 02, 2010
By Mark Redfern
NYC trio The Antlers are still getting a lot of mileage out of last year's critically-acclaimed album Hospice. The band has two U.S. tours lined up for the spring and summer. First they'll hit the road with Barsuk Records' Phantogram later this month and into early May. Then in June they'll have some dates opening up for The National, who will be releasing High Violet next month. We have the dates and a recent video for "Bear." More
Mar 15, 2010
By Kyle Lemmon
Brooklyn indie-rock linchpins The National have finally decided on the tracklist for their fifth LP High Violet. Check those out right here. More
Mar 11, 2010
By Kyle Lemmon
The National played a brand-new song on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon last night. The excellent tune is the opening cut from the Brooklyn band's upcoming LP, High Violet, due May 11th on 4AD. "Terrible Love" has all the elements of a grand National song: a big, cresting melody, horn fanfare, and stadium-filling guitars. We have the video. More
Mar 05, 2010
By Kyle Lemmon
Here's something to put on your calendar: The National's fifth album is entitled High Violet, and it comes out May 10th in the U.K. and May 11th everywhere else (both via 4AD). More
Moody Rockers Will Release a New Album in May
Feb 15, 2010
By Kyle Lemmon
You can call The National "dude-rock" all day but they deliver the goods when their fans beg for it. Tickets for indie-rock quintet's first tour of the decade sold out faster than you can say "Boxer" last week. Due to popular demand the group has announced additional dates in several North American cities. More
Dates Kick Off April 22nd
Jan 25, 2010
By Laura Studarus
Brooklyn-based The National are heading out on their first tour of 2010 in support of their upcoming, currently untitled album (due out in May). We have the dates. More
Interviews
Dec 14, 2009
By Jim Scott
After their 2006 album Alligator, it seemed as though Brooklyn-based The National had achieved breakout status. Almost exactly a year later, however, the band released the stunning Boxer, and the band was suddenly ubiquitous, a popular and critical favorite. More
Oct 01, 2007
By Aaron Passman
The June release of Boxer (Beggars Banquet), The National’s fourth LP, was met with the same universal critical praise that met its predecessor Alligator. One of the strongest records of 2007 so far, Boxer could be the soundtrack to walking home from the bar alone after last call. More
Reviews
May 10, 2010
By Jim Scott
The National is in danger of becoming another Spoon. Spoon is excellent, of course, and this is the kind of designation most bands would kill for, but the risk here is that by continually making solid records and not risking falling on their faces, the albums don't transcend; without risk, where's the thrill? More
The National at The Electric Factory in Philadelphia
Jun 15, 2009
By Aaron Passman
It says something that even two years after it was released, The National's Boxer still feels fresh. Same can be said for the 4-year-old tracks from Alligator, both of which were featured heavily in the quintet's recent stop in Philly. More
