The National

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Formed 1999.

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Steve Lamacq |   BBC 6 Music

The National speak to Steve Lamacq

The National played Maida Vale for Lammo - hear clips from the tracks and the full chat.

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Biography

The National is an American indie rock band formed in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, in 1999, and currently based in Brooklyn, New York. The band's lyrics, which have been described as "dark, melancholy and difficult to interpret", are written and sung by Matt Berninger, a baritone. The rest of the band is composed of two pairs of brothers: twins Aaron (guitar and keyboard) and Bryce Dessner (guitar) and Scott (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). The National has been compared to Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, Wilco and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. The name of the band was chosen because it "didn't mean anything" and was "benign and meaningless".

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Links & Information

Latest News Stories

News from the BBC

  1. Local Natives: 'better than ever'

    Wed 30 Jan 2013 08:37

    Los Angeles indie rockers Local Natives return

  2. AOTD: The National

    Wed 22 Dec 2010 13:38

    The Brooklyn band reflect on their most successful album

  3. Bonus, Deluxe, Expanded?

    Tue 21 Dec 2010 13:07

    Are bands right to release their current album again with extras just for Christmas?

Latest Blog Posts

Blogs from the BBC

  1. #Suede6Music - Help Pick the Ultimate Suede Playlist

    Wed 6 Feb 2013 15:53 Next week 6 Music decamp once again to Maida Vale where Suede will launch Lauren... Producer Will

  2. #NowWearing - Now Playing @6Music tracklist December 2, 2011

    Fri 2 Dec 2011 21:00 This week on Now Playing we celebrated your favourite band T-shirts with #NowWearing,... Producer Will

BBC Reviews

  1. High Violet 2010

    Review of High Violet

    Reviewed by Mike Diver

    The New Yorkers’ finest disc to date is a potential album of the year.

  2. Boxer 2007

    Review of Boxer

    Reviewed by Louis Pattison

    A somewhat slighter piece of work than its predecessor, if still a pretty fine album...

  3. Alligator 2005

    Review of Alligator

    Reviewed by Chris Hilliard

    Tales of drying deltas and stolen record collections make an uneasy soundtrack for...

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More BBC Music highlights

  1. Later... with Jools Holland

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Latest Tracks Played on the BBC

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Buy online

BBC recordings of The National

Available on: CD or Music download

From suppliers: Amazon, iTunes

Where to buy

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