When placed in front of a microphone, The National’s Matt Berninger is one of the coolest and collected men you could meet. His calm, confident baritone is like a cup of warm milk served in the back room of some New York dive bar; is is the glue that holds the band’s music together. However like that out of place glass of milk, some have accused Berninger’s voice of being an acquired taste- I disagree. For myself, the attraction was instantaneous. The same applies for the entire band.

The National are one of those acts that just seems to ‘get’ the whole music thing. Their progression from record to record is amazing. Young bands take note: you start with a strong, homegrown sound then you hone and define. You don’t ever stop. The National’s latest release, Alligator, is about as honed and defined as you can get. Every song is a culmination of the band’s best traits, executed above and beyond their past efforts. It is their ‘ground breaking’ release, and as witnessed by the barrage of good press, even the short sighted critics were able to notice this giant leap.

Today’s post is a look back at the moment before the National made the jump from obscure rock band to the new hot ticket. When they were the apples of only the most musically hip’s eyes. Their 2003 album Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers is a much darker, brooding album than Alligator, and with the benefit of hindsight, it’s intense darkness hints beautifully at the brighter future ahead. If you were like me and you discovered the National after Alligator was released, do yourself a favor and take advantage of Insound.com’s current record sale and pick up Sad Songs for the low price of $9.99. It’s definitely worth the money, especially to see how much the band has changed. The track I’ve attached, ‘Fashion Coat’, wouldn’t be too out of place on Alligator and is a perfect bridge between the releases. Take a listen.

The National - Fashion Coat