The National
Ranking the albums and tracks of The National.
If you know me at all, you’re just about guaranteed to know that my favorite band of all time is The National. I’ve seen them 8 times live, with another scheduled concert coming up on August 8th at the Sylvee in Madison. The National have been popular in recent years, especially with the new wave of Swifties that have joined on board after guitarist Aaron Dessner’s production work on Folklore, Evermore, and Midnights. I figured with my first official post on this Substack, The National would be the obvious place to start.
For those of you with little to no background on the band, the core of the group consists of five members. Lead singer Matt Berninger is the brooding, melancholic frontman of the group known for his deep baritone delivery and introspective lyrics. Aaron Dessner and twin brother Bryce Dessner provide the guitars, strings and piano, and brothers Bryan and Scott Devendorf provide drums and bass respectively. Their music is often referred to as “sad Dad music” which is sneaky accurate, however, depending on your starting point in their discography could lead you to different conclusions. The National themselves have recently embraced the ‘sad Dad’ mantra, even releasing new merch with the slogan on it.
The National have released 9 studio recorded albums and 2 full length EPs. These are the core items that I’ll be ranking and addressing throughout the blog, however, it’s important to note that they have had some officially released live albums and other singles.
Ranking the Albums
Albums will be ranked from least favorite to favorite, with brief commentary, favorite tracks and rationale behind the decisions.
#11 - The National S/T (2001)
This is the album that started off the band. Featuring a shirtless and arguably sexy Bryan Devendorf on the cover, the band released their debut of 12 songs. When I went back and listened to this album to write about it, I expected to dislike more tracks, but was pleasantly surprised by a number of tracks I hadn’t listened to in years. When you listen to this in comparison to their other albums though, it feels like a collection of demos, and it doesn’t help that the majority of these songs are down tempo and lacking the punch of their later albums.
This is the taste of The National that let listeners know that there was potential on the horizon. Matt Berninger has some lyrics that hit close to home, especially following a pandemic where most of us spent our lives living in front of a computer screen. Berninger, who prior to The National was working in advertising and helping create web ads for the likes of Mastercard, sings of the monotony of office work life. In Theory of the Crows he sings, “Pouring my fingers across the keys, Will someone review my salary please?” Another notable lyric from this album is “You know I dreamed about you, for 29 years, before I saw you”, however it’s not known from this song or album. The song 29 years is one of my least favorite tracks on the album, and I’m forever thankful they re-used the top tier lyric on a significantly better song in Slow Show on Boxer.
Best Tracks: Theory of the Crows, Beautiful Head, American Mary
#10 - Cherry Tree EP (2008)
For any of you National heads reading this article, this is probably going to be a hot take. The Cherry Tree EP is beloved amongst National fans for songs like famous set closer ‘About Today’, the low-key love song ‘Wasp Nest’ and the debut of Alligator favorite ‘All the Wine.’ The reason Cherry Tree is ranked so low here is that despite all three of those songs being phenomenal, there isn’t enough there to boost it above the rest of their discography. Songs like ‘A Reasonable Man (I Don’t Mind)’ get forgotten, and the live rendition of ‘Murder Me Rachael’ does slap, but the original on Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers is much better. If you’re new to the band, don’t sleep on this EP, but for me it’s towards the bottom of this ranking.
Best Tracks: Wasp Nest, About Today, All Dolled Up In Straps
#9 - First Two Pages of Frankenstein (2023)
The most recent addition to the National’s library is the First Two Pages of Frankenstein. Problems with this album that I’ve had:
The name of this album. The title of the album comes from Matt Berninger struggling through writer’s block and using literature to inspire him and help him through. I get that. However, just naming it The First Two Pages of Frankenstein has no subtlety whatsoever and is objectively lame.
The album artwork. I still haven’t read anything that explains this album artwork outside of this was a friend of the band who took this picture and they liked it. Album art doesn’t always need a connection, but give me something here guys.
The Taylor Swiftification of the National. For those of you unaware, Aaron Dessner has produced two Taylor Swift albums. Dessner has collaborated with Taylor on side project Big Red Machine with Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon with some hits and misses. I actually love Folklore and Evermore, but I don’t need the sound of those records as a National record. Dessner is cruising along on his way to being a major pop producer, but I don’t need that carried over into The National’s music. The lack of drums from Bryan is the most obvious casualty in this.
The guest features. The National brought in heavy indie hitters like Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens, but if you didn’t read the album features, you would have no idea that either of them are on the record. The aforementioned Taylor Swift appears on this record, and actually has a feature you can hear, and it’s not bad! Her feature has the prominence that I was hoping for out of Bridgers or Stevens.
So why is this album ahead of the previous two records? Because it’s still a great album. The first single off of the album Tropic Morning News comes from Matt Berninger’s wife describing doomscrolling online as the ‘Tropic Morning News.’ The song rips, and on top of that, I haven’t found a better way to describe the feeling of opening up your smart phone and reading about all of the horrible shitty things happening in this world. The second single of the album, New Order T-Shirt, focuses on the flashbacks of beautiful and difficult moments with your partner. The lyric that catches me every time is “How you had me lay down for a temperature check, with the cool of your hand on the back of my neck, When I said ‘I think I’m finally going crazy for real.” When you’re at your lowest, having that person to be there and comfort you as you’re spiraling is such a beautiful thing. There are a share of weak tracks on this album, but it’s that has grown on me significantly.
Best Tracks: Tropic Morning News, New Order T-Shirt, Eucalyptus, Grease in Your Hair
#8 - The Virginia EP (2008)
The Virginia EP rules. Following the release of Boxer in 2007, the National had a number of B-Sides, live tracks and demos that they wanted to release. I had never given this EP much time up until the last few years, but I’ve fallen in love with each of the B-Sides. The Virginia EP features some chaotic and hilarious lyrics from Berninger. On You’ve Done it Again, Virginia, I have always loved the line ‘Burn yourself alive and join the Monster Squad.’ I have no idea if this is a reference to the movie Space Jam or not, but I love the idea that Matt saw the big aliens from Space Jam and thought, “I’ve got to work this into a song.” Track #2, Santa Clara paints the picture of saying a difficult goodbye. ‘I’m gonna run to the river, kiss my hand and wave, I’m gonna run to the river, gonna throw a blue bouquet, cause they’re going to be cool happy genius heroes, I’m going to miss them so much.’ If you can’t fall in love with the line ‘cool happy genius heroes’, you’re reading the wrong Substack. The EP’s demos are not particularly strong, and the live tracks aren’t bad, but the strength of the Boxer B-Sides alone push this ahead of some of the others.
Best Tracks: You’ve Done it Again Virginia, Santa Clara, Blank Slate, Without Permission
#7 - I Am Easy to Find (2019)
This is probably the most contentious album in The National’s discography. This album was made to accompany a short film with the same, and the film is fine. Fans of the older National albums will say that this is DEFINITELY the one where things started to take a turn for the worse (more on that when we get to Sleep Well Beast.) I’ve always been a defender of IAETF, but will acknowledge that there are some tracks that make it a bit of a slog to get through. The reason I’ve always defended this album though is because the highs of this album compete with just about any other National album for me. Quiet Light is one of the most beautiful tracks I’ve heard from any band. There are multiple ways to interpret the lyrics of Quiet Light, but I’ve always taken this song as a dedication to a lost loved one. Waking up in the early mornings, reflecting on the impact that the most important people in our lives have had on us. Berninger sings about learning to deal with the loss of someone - ‘Nothing I wouldn’t do, for another few minutes.’
Other highlights on the album for me include the nearly 7 minute track Not in Kansas. Berninger seems to just be allowing a stream of conscious come out of his mouth, delving into R.E.M. lyrics, stories about his father and wondering if he’ll have the balls to punch a Nazi. The feeling of not being able to connect to the state he grew up in, Berninger laments that it’s difficult to visit Ohio since ‘alt-right opioids went viral.’ Guest features on You Had Your Soul with You and Where is Her Head add a new feminine component to The National we hadn’t heard in the past that make these songs feel fresh. It’s also important to note that long time fan favorite Rylan received an official studio release, and they crushed it.
Best Tracks: Quiet Light, Not in Kansas, Rylan, Oblivions, Where is Her Head
#6 - Trouble Will Find Me (2013)
The word that comes to mind with Trouble Will Find Me is consistent. This album has few weak spots, a few high flying moments, but it also doesn’t have as many stand outs as the top 5 albums that are coming up. The album came out in May of 2013 which was the end of my sophomore year and start of my junior year of college. The song Don’t Swallow the Cap was one of my most streamed tracks of that year, and a line that always comes back to me is “Is it time to leave, is it time to think about, what I wanna say to the girls at the door.” The line always brings me back to bar close, after being awkward around talking to girls and trying to figure out what to say as the lights turned on at the end of the night, and ultimately saying nothing and going back to the house to play Mario Kart with the homies.
The most streamed track in the National’s library is featured on this album, I Need my Girl, which is a tender ballad written for Matt’s wife and daughter. It’s good but not a favorite of mine. That pretty much describes my feeling towards this album. It’s good, but not a favorite of mine.
Favorite Tracks: Don’t Swallow the Cap, Graceless, Pink Rabbits
#5 - Sleep Well Beast (2017)
The National go electronic. There is no more fiercely debated album amongst fans than Sleep Well Beast. Some (like myself) see this as one of their greatest albums, ranking amongst the heavy hitters coming up soon, and others see this as the start to a decline in quality. I truly do not understand how you can have that opinion. This album still sounds like a National album but features more experimentation than in any other album that they’ve put out.
Firstly, the ballads on this thing are unreal. Album opener Nobody Else Will Be There has simplistic instrumentation but the piano background compliments Matt’s lyrics soaring over the top. One of my favorite parts of the track is trying to get down the ‘HEY BABY’ after an elongated instrumental break. Carin at the Liquor Store has Aaron Dessner playing the hell out of the piano while Matt pours his heart out. Guilty Party starts with a drum machine and some blips and bloops, as the protagonist works his way through the end of a relationship in such a heartbreaking way.
But wait, I’m a bigger fan of The National’s more uptempo stuff, is there anything for me? Yeah how about Day I Die, The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness and I’ll Still Destroy You. Matt can paint a picture unlike any other lyricist out there, and the line ‘Put your heels against the wall, I swear you got a little bit taller since I saw you, I’ll still destroy you’ is one of the those lyrics that does so much in such a short statement. (If you haven’t been able to tell at this point of the article, I would probably throw up and faint if I met Matt in person.)
#4 - High Violet (2010)
This is where things got really tough for me. High Violet came out the year I graduated in high school, and this was the album that really caused me to fall in love with this band. In the days of early Youtube, I was a fiend for music videos and live performances (not much has changed and my wife/friends immediately groan the second I open up the Youtube app on our TV). The live performance of Terrible Love that came out on Youtube prior to the album release I had to have watched over 100 times. Bryan’s drums kicking in during the chorus is fucking exciting music (this is why real fans only listen to the alternate version on Spotify).
Beyond Terrible Love, there are some all time tracks on here. Lemonworld is another one of those Matt Berninger masterpieces, splicing together awkward imagery to make memorable lyrics. "Lay me on a table, put flowers in my mouth and we can say that we invented a summer lovin’ torture party.” Supposedly Lemonworld was a difficult track to pin down for the band, and there are over 100 versions that were created. Please release these ASAP. Bloodbuzz Ohio is more relevent than ever, owing money to the money to the money I owe. Sorrow… Conversation 16… England… Did I make a mistake with this at 4?
#3 - Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003)
This album truly has it all. After their debut album, the National were finding themselves as a band and this album shows you all the different versions that the band could have been. Oh you wanted The National to be a scream-o band? Check out Slipping Husband and Murder Me Rachael. You want somber and super depressing? Cardinal Song and Lucky You are here for you. A taste of Americana? Queue up It Never Happened.
A few songs that need special attention on this album are Available and Fashion Coat. Available is one of the strangest songs that the National have, as Matt Berninger just goes OFF after the 2 minute mark. The song is probably the closest studio version of a song that they have to the energy that encapsulates some of their live performances of songs. I was lucky enough to catch it live at Lollapalooza a number of years ago, but as the National get older, I think that song is officially retired. The latter song that I mentioned, Fashion Coat, has slowly been climbing my rankings of favorite songs by the band. The track clocks in at just over 2 minutes, but it’s a total ear worm. “I’m not stupid I swear, I read the foreign news to understand my nation” is another one of those classic Berninger lines that makes me smile every time I hear it.
This probably wouldn’t be my go to album for a new fan of The National, but after you’ve accepted them into your life, play this shit on repeat.
Favorite Tracks: Available, Fashion Coat, Lucky You, 90-Mile Water Wall, Slipping Husband
#2 - Alligator (2005)
My local record store growing up was the Exclusive Company in Appleton, Wisconsin (RIP). I don’t know if I can pinpoint another moment in my life where I remember buying an album, but I remember having just enough money to buy one CD. My options were Band of Horses’ Cease to Begin or The National’s Alligator. I looked at both for awhile, as I liked both of the bands other albums I had heard. The Funeral was in constant rotation for me, as was Fake Empire and Mr. November which I had purchased for 99 cents on iTunes. In another world, I may be sitting down writing this blog on Band of Horses, but I made the decision to buy Alligator that day.
As recently as a few years ago, I would have told you that my favorite album of all time was Alligator. I would argue that there isn’t a bad track on it start to finish. I could probably do a write up on each one of these songs, but as I continue typing I just noticed I’m sitting at around 3,000 words and nobody signed up for this when they gave their email to this Substack. Starting with Mr. November. “I won’t fuck us over, I’m Mr. November” is such a great lyric. The line can be interpreted as political, and the Matt has said the song was actually written about how much it must suck to be a presidential candidate… specifically John Kerry. When I originally loved this song though, I was not a political individual at all. I just loved yelling out the chorus as loud as I could in the car, and I still do. Listening to the song now evokes an idea of classmates who peaked in high school. They used to be carried by the arms of cheerleaders, and now tell those stories to whoever will listen to them in the local dive bar.
Other tracks that deserve their own little bit of attention include Karen, a track written about an alcoholic husband trying to convince his wife to stay (shoutout the ballerina line, IFKYK). Daughters of the Soho Riots creating the imagery of breaking your arms around the one you love is cheesy and beautiful. Abel is the other song on this album where you should be red in the face screaming ‘MY MIND’S NOT RIGHT” by the end of it. Looking for Astronauts has another brilliant line from Matt, ‘You know you have a permanent piece, of my medium sized American heart.” I could keep going and going, but the last thing I want to draw attention to is the song Friend of Mine. This song is one of the weaker ones comparatively to the others on the album, but I’ve always wanted to create a TikTok to the line “Why did you listen to that man, that man’s a balloon” and have a guy yelling at his friend, and then cutting to a balloon with a face drawn onto it attached to a suit and tie. Maybe my mind’s not right.
Best Tracks: Karen, All the Wine, Abel, Mr. November, Geese of Beverley Road
#1 - Boxer (2007)
We have arrived at number one, the album that started my journey with this band. At the end of my sophomore year of high school I was obsessive with finding new music. I would go on iTunes for hours, looking at new albums, recommended artists from the algorithms at Apple and trying to figure out based on 30 second previews whether or not I would like the song. Once I would find albums that I would like, I would attempt to find them at the local library and listen to them that way first. Boxer was one of those albums that I was able to find and listen to, after I had seen the album all over end of the year lists in 2007. My gut instinct to this album was I hated it. I turned it on, listened to it in full and thought it was some of the most boring music I had ever heard… except for one song. The opening track Fake Empire lured me in with the imagery of the first few lyrics ‘Stay out super late tonight, picking apples, making pies, put a little something in our lemonade, and take it with us.’ It was a generic story but it painted a picture in my high school brain, and when the ending kicked in with brass and trumpets galore the band geek in me got so amped up.
Fake Empire kept getting play on my iPod classic, but when I would go back to the rest of the album to give it a shot, the same thing would happen. Boring. Until I found a new song I loved entitled Start a War. It was my song I would listen to as I was trying to sleep. The simple guitar riff with the story telling of Matt connected with me and put me at peace right before falling asleep. From there, the other songs on the album started to click and I fell in love with what would eventually become my favorite band. As I’ve entered my 30s and most of my friends have moved away, I’m going on 8 years of working after college, and am married with a baby boy, the album has connected with me more and more as time has gone on. Where Alligator had always been my #1, Boxer connected with me more and more.
Slow Show always reminds me of my wife. The lyric I mentioned 2000 words ago on the National’s self titled record, ‘You know I dreamed about you, for 29 years, before I saw you’ is an all timer. The one that always reminds me of my wife though is ‘I wanna hurry home to you and put on a slow, dumb show for you.’ My wife would immediately roll her eyes upon reading this, but I’m a sap. My favorite moments are where I'm with her, my son and our dog and just joking around with each other, and just being with each other. Mistaken for Stranger is another one of those tracks that just hits as I get older. Where I used to love a good night out at the bars staying up late, now I feel like I have to ‘fill myself with quarters’ to get ready to go out. Other songs like Green Gloves make me long for seeing my old friends. Seeing pictures and updates on social media make you miss the old times.
Every track on here deserves its own write up, and Boxer is my favorite album of all time. The music, the lyrics, everything is just perfect.
Favorite Tracks: Fake Empire, Apartment Story, Brainy, Mistaken For Strangers, Gospel
So there you have it. There’s the list. I know that this is a ton of reading from an amateur writer but if you made it this far, thanks for reading. I’ll plan on sending something out every Monday, so please share this with any of your other music loving friends, and vote for the artist that you would like a deep dive on next.
P.S. I originally promised a top 10 list, but this went on much longer than anticipated. Sorry for those of your waiting til the end.
As you know I’ve been trying to get into The National for a long time now. Maybe I can check your reviews by actually listening to the tracks for once! Great write-up. Wondering when we will get Lou Bega as a votable option. I’ll hang up and listen.
Where do you think ‘return to the moon’ would fall on this list? I’d say 7.5.