I love The National. Matt Beringer's vocals are elliptical and vague, and allow space to find new meanings in them. The rest of the band are two pairs of brothers Aaron (guitar, bass, piano) and Bryce Dessner (guitar), and Scott (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). They are all amazing musicians. As their last album High Violet was coming together Aaron and Bryce were commissioned to write an piece for the Brooklyn Academy of Music to be performed with visual artist Matthew Ritchie. Matt Beringer had just welcomed a new baby into his life. The orchestral elements of their Academy project, and the depth of feeling of Matt's life changes coalesced into this amazing record.I was slow to get around to 'High Violet'. It was released in March 2010. I did finally get into it, and I really got stuck on this track. There is a real yearning to it. It's both upbeat and melancholic. And like everything by the National, you find your own meaning in it.
