The best American band currently is.......

[Stenners]

^^ Jeezy pop me the link

[Toxic1]

^^

 

well that sorta shit on my parade lol

 

if im doing songwriter can i say Cat Power and Bright Eyes as well? lol

 

Yep.............

[Toxic1]

no...it's alright I'm getting their new album "Boxer" now...

 

Get Alligator as well to see the contrast. Boxer is definitely alot more mellower than their previous stuff. More chamber pop-esque than alt country and indie rock. And the lyrics are definitely what makes Alligator what it is.

[Jeezy]

Get Alligator as well to see the contrast. Boxer is definitely alot more mellower than their previous stuff. More chamber pop-esque than alt country and indie rock. And the lyrics are definitely what makes Alligator what it is.

 

I'll see how much I like Boxer...and then I'll maybe get some more stuff

[Toxic1]

Here is their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thenational

[Stenners]

Speaking of American as apple pie I got a magazine today and on it 'Americana The Next Generation' how weird

 

Featured Artists: Lavender Diamond, Oakley Hall, Rosie Thomas With Sufjan Stevens, Bob Frank & John Murry, Nini Nastasia & Jum White, PG Six, Bright Eyes, The Dexateens, Stephanie Dosen, Robert Gomez, Lightning Dust, Josh Ritter, Richard Swift, Blanche & The Felice Brothers

 

Got to say im lookin forward to indulging in this lil treat

[Jeezy]

Here is their myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thenational

 

sounds like a mix of Johnny Cash and Bryan Ferry

[Toxic1]

Speaking of American as apple pie I got a magazine today and on it 'Americana The Next Generation' how weird

 

Featured Artists: Lavender Diamond, Oakley Hall, Rosie Thomas With Sufjan Stevens, Bob Frank & John Murry, Nini Nastasia & Jum White, PG Six, Bright Eyes, The Dexateens, Stephanie Dosen, Robert Gomez, Lightning Dust, Josh Ritter, Richard Swift, Blanche & The Felice Brothers

 

Got to say im lookin forward to indulging in this lil treat

 

Cool.......should check some of the ones I haven't heard.

[Stenners]

I have discoverd quite alot of artists threw this magazines cover disc, so its always a good idea to check out what they reccomend on their playlist

[Toxic1]

sounds like a mix of Johnny Cash and Bryan Ferry

 

Voice-wise?

[Jeezy]

Voice-wise?

yeah...but it's cool

[Toxic1]

yeah...but it's cool

 

 

 

:drinks:

 

..............

 

I kinda figure you might like the drums on Boxer.

[Jeezy]

:drinks:

 

..............

 

I kinda figure you might like the drums on Boxer.

 

I listened to some tracks...and yeah the drumming is great...I'm a big fan of drums...

 

Always nice to get to know some different bands:thumbsup:

[Toxic1]

I listened to some tracks...and yeah the drumming is great...I'm a big fan of drums...

 

Always nice to get to know some different bands:thumbsup:

 

 

Uploading "Alligator" right now for you guys.

 

------------

 

I think this guy that did their myspace description of Boxer did a pretty good job:

 

Some Words About Boxer

 

by Alec Hanley Bemis

 

The National are a band of New Yorkers transplanted from Cincinnati, Ohio: Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, and Scott Devendorf. What each member of the band does is not that important, but what they do together seems increasingly more so…

 

When last we heard from The National, they’d released and toured behind their Beggars Banquet debut, Alligator, an album whose reception closely mirrored the kind of sounds they made on record—it started out quiet, and ended up very, very loud. Alligator became one of the most widely discussed and critically acclaimed independent albums of 2005—“album of the year” to one Los Angeles Times critic. It also earned top marks in a poll of America’s bloggeratti and rapturous reviews throughout the U.S. and Europe. (Uncut, selecting it as an album of the month, called the record "their first masterpiece.") More importantly, The National became an object of growing obsession among a thriving community of fans—strands of their lyrics decorated MySpaces; during shows, audience members sang along in unison, echoing through concert halls; news of celebrity admirers like Bruce Springsteen shot across the interwebs. The National became famous in an alternate universe—one where the gossip rags talk about the people you actually care about.

 

Boxer is better.

 

Gothic in its detailing but jaunty in its execution, Boxer is something far richer than orch-pop (translation: rock ‘n’ roll topped with violins). Rather, the band find ways to combine the expressive depth of composed music with the urgency of pop. It's a sound built with guitar, bass, piano and drums and festooned with brass, woodwinds, backing vocals, strings, and organs. A product of dedicated labor, happenstance, and alchemical reactions, the music reveals new layers with each successive listen.

 

There are nods toward a host of iconic Americans—F. Scott Fitzgerald, Raymond Carver, composer Steve Reich, Bob Dylan and the Band, Jonathan Ames (especially Wake Up, Sir!), even a bit of Grateful Dead. There are sketchy suggestions of Leonard Cohen, Grace Paley, Nick Cave, John Ashbery, The Smiths and Tom Waits. But The National’s pedigree is becoming harder and harder to trace. They may remind you of distinguished ancestors but, now, The National sound like no one so much as themselves: a meditative rumble that starts in the heart, gets caught in the brain, and resonates outward.

 

Australian composer Padma Newsome of Clogs coordinates the fleet of orchestral details—he’s one vital part of an extended family that has expanded in recent years to include producer Peter Katis; beloved live engineer Brandon Reid; writer and guest lyricist Carin Besser; and French artist Mathieu Saura (a.k.a. Vincent Moon). New contributors include Thomas Bartlett (a.k.a. Doveman), Brooklyn singer Marla Hansen, and neighborhood friend Sufjan Stevens.

 

***

 

When asked to describe Boxer, The National makes reference to “a euphoric disconnection,” the lovely delusion that sets in after too much dulling reality, too much time away, and losing touch with friends.

 

As usual, the lyrics eschew narrative in favor of associative images, bits of overheard conversation, or slivers of interior monologue re-arranged into a new language unique to the band. There are diamond slippers and ballets on ice, G.I. blood and fake empires, blue blazers and white-shirted professionals. The band sings about the kind of dreams that ruin lives, and they make of those dreams the kind of music that saves them. A glowing young ruffian retires from his dream life, shoots up the corporate ladder, develops womanly hands…

 

What exactly is The National going on about? Why are songs about love and war intertwined with songs about money and office life? Are these songs about all those topics at once? The only certain thing is that, like boxers, The National are making their way in a rough trade—a sport, a pastime, a violent thing. They get cut up and caught up in the ropes. They rip out the stitches though friends urge them not to.

 

I won't lie. The National’s music is not easy to describe, but it’s very easy to listen to. It’s an antidote for uneasy times. Spend an hour with Boxer, and you’ll end up spending many more.

[Toxic1]

The National - Alligator

 

http://rapidshare.com/files/29650515/Alligator.zip.html

[Stenners]

Thansk alot! Appriciate it

[Toxic1]

Thansk alot! Appriciate it

 

No prob. I can also do their new one Boxer, Cherry Tree EP, and Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers if anyone is interested.

 

Right now I'm uploading Okkervil River's masterpiece concept album "Black Sheep Boy". Stay tuned........

[Stenners]

=D *sex wees a lil*

[Toxic1]

lol

 

Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy

 

http://rapidshare.com/files/29654339/Okkervil_River_-_Black_Sheep_Boy.zip.html

 

 

 

Stenners says: The best albums are often those u discard on first listen. How true........

[Stenners]

^^ Remember how off i was on Neutral Milk Hotel, now I really love it. Same thing happend to Moon & Antarctica annnnnd basically every Elliot Smith record I have ever heard. Also the case with Sonic Youth and The Knife..... and toones more

[Toxic1]

^^ Remember how off i was on Neutral Milk Hotel, now I really love it. Same thing happend to Moon & Antarctica annnnnd basically every Elliot Smith record I have ever heard. Also the case with Sonic Youth and The Knife..... and toones more

 

Holy shit! I was just about to post what you were thinking of "On The Aeroplane Over The Sea" these days. LMAO

[Stenners]

I havent heard it for about 2months though, Its on my pc which is having issues and not on this laptop haha

[Toxic1]

I think they would deffinatley qualify lyrically

 

Say for instance if I was to put a random song from LP against The National. There is just a huge difference lyrically. Like as of it's night and day. Both can be depressing as hell, but two different worlds.

 

For instance, let's put what seems to be one of many LPers favourite new song against a random National song. Valentine's Day vs Karen

 

Both songs are musically not the strongest on their respective albums, but this is only about lyrical comparison.

 

******

 

Linkin Park - Valentine's Day

 

My insides all turn to ash,

So slow.

And blow away as I collapse,

So cold.

 

A black winter been away,

From sight.

Another darkness over day,

That night.

And the clouds above move closer,

Looking so dissatisfied.

But the harvest wind kept blowing, blowing.

I used to be my own protection,

But not now.

'Cause my path has lost direction,

Somehow.

 

A black winter cue away,

From sight.

Another darkness over day,

That night.

And the clouds above move closer,

Looking so dissatisfied.

And the ground below grew colder,

As they put you down inside.

But the harvest wind kept blowing, blowing.

 

So now you're gone,

And I was wrong.

I never knew what it was like,

 

To be alone on a Valentine's Day,

To be alone on a Valentine's Day.

 

I used to be my own protection,

But not now.

'Cause my path has lost direction,

Somehow.

 

*******

 

The National - Karen

 

Karen, I'm not taking sides

I don't think I'll ever do that again

I'll end up winning and I won't know why

I'm really trying to shine here, I'm really trying

You're changing clothes and closing windows on me all the time

 

Well, whatever you do, listen, you better wait for me

No, I wouldn't go out alone into America

Whatever you do

Listen, you better wait for me

No, I wouldn't go out alone

 

Karen, we should call your father, maybe it's just a phase

He'll know the trick to get a wayward soul to change his ways

It's a common fetish for a doting man

to ballerina on the coffee table cock in hand

 

Well, whatever you do

Listen, you better wait for me

No, I wouldn't go out alone into America

Whatever you do

Listen, you better wait for me

No, I wouldn't go out alone

 

Without warm water in my head

All I see is black and white and red

I feel mechanical and thin

Hear me play my violin again

I'm living in the target's shoes

All I see is black and white and blue.

Idle, idle, idle, idle, protect the nest

Protect the title

 

Karen, put me in a chair, fuck me and make me a drink

I've lost direction, and I'm past my peak

I'm telling you this isn't me

No, this isn't me

Karen, believe me, you just haven't seen my good side yet

 

Well, whatever you do

Listen. you better wait for me

No, I wouldn't go out alone into America

Whatever you do

Listen, you better wait for me

No, I wouldn't go out alone

 

Without warm water in my head

All I see is black and white and red

I feel mechanical and thin

Hear me play my violin again

I'm living in the target's shoes

All I see is black and white and blue

Idle, idle, idle, idle, protect the nest

Protect the title

 

I must be me, I'm in my head

Black birds are circling my bed

I must be me, I must be me

Black feathers are falling on my feet

Idle, idle, idle, idle, protect the nest

Protect the title

[Toxic1]

Another example of a heartbreaking and depressing American life:

 

The National - Baby, We'll be Fine

 

All night I lay on my pillow and pray

For my boss to stop me in the hallway

Lay my head on his shoulder and say

Son, I've been hearing good things

 

I wake up without warning and go flying around the house

In my sauvignon fierce, freaking out

Take a forty-five minute shower and kiss the mirror

And say, look at me

Baby, we'll be fine

All we gotta do is be brave and be kind

 

I put on an argyle sweater and put on a smile

I don't know how to do this

I'm so sorry for everything

 

Baby, come over, I need entertaining

I had a stilted, pretending day

Lay me down and say something pretty

Lay me back down where I wanted to stay

Just say something perfect, something I can steal

Say, look at me

Baby, we'll be fine

All we've gotta do is be brave and be kind

 

I pull off your jeans, and you spill jack and coke in my collar

I melt like a witch and scream

I'm so sorry for everything

[Stllmn8j]

Their lyrics are pretty good,especially in the second song