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9985 - THE NATIONAL - SAD SONGS FOR DIRTY LOVERS (2003)

THE NATIONAL
''SAD SONGS FOR DIRTY LOVERS''
SEPTEMBER 2 2003
44:27
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1 Cardinal Song 06:15
2 Slipping Husband 03:20
3 Mile Water Wall 03:42
4 It Never Happend 04:34
5 Murder Me Rachael 03:41
6 Thirsty 03:45
7 Available 03:17
8 Sugar Wife 02:17
9 Trophy Wife 03:29
10 Fashion Coat 01:59
11 Patterns Of Fairytales 03:41
12 Lucky You 04:21
All songs written by The National

Matt Berninger - lead vocals
Aaron Dessner - guitar, keyboards, bass, vibraphone, programming
Bryce Dessner - guitar, keyboards, vibraphone, programming
Scott Devendorf - bass, backing vocals, guitar
Bryan Devendorf - drums, backing vocals, percussion
Additional Musicians:
Padma Newsome: Viola, Violin
Nick Lloyd: Piano, Keyboards
Luke Hughett: Vocals on 6
Nate Martinez: Guitar on 1
Steve LoPresti: French Horn and Mellophone on 8
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ABOUT THE ALBUM/WIKIPEDIA
Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers is the second album by indie rock band The National. Released on September 2, 2003, this is the first album on which the band worked with Peter Katis, who would produce the band's next albums Alligator and Boxer.

The album is the first to feature guitarist and mult-instrumentalist Bryce Dessner as a full member.
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REVIEW/AMG
by Tim DiGravina
For a band that's been compared to Joy Division, Leonard Cohen, Wilco, and Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds, the National sure sounds a lot more like the Czars or Uncle Tupelo on this sophomore album Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. Where the band might lack Joy Division's angular fury, Cohen's existentialism, and Cave's vampiric attack, vocalist Matt Berninger and company whip up a murky alt country meets chamber pop vibe that's quite potent. The five-piece mostly keeps things on the country side of the fence during the album's first half, as slide guitars and fiddles overpower just about any hint of rock styling except the drumbeat, occasional feedback, and some screeching guitar freak-outs. Toward the album's close, the songs' textures finally shift from country to indie rock. Berninger is more than content to roam pastures featuring small patches of emo, sadcore, and artsy strings, clearly wearing his influences on his sleeve. Indeed, album-opener "Cardinal Song" could very easily be mistaken for the Tindersticks or Cousteau, with a passage that is a virtual note for note reconstruction of a Red House Painters song. Though the band focuses on slow atmospheric songs, it's when it kicks out the jams that the music is the most compelling. Case in point is "Slipping Husband," with its fine melodic waves and a perfectly placed bout of screaming. "Trophy Wife" presents yet another influence; the song seems a dead ringer for the Shins. It's hard to shake the feeling that the National is highly influenced by and studied in the bands it emulates, but the album is still worth a listen for fans of moody country-tinged lounge music. With so many influences rearing their heads and ample musical chops in the bag, the National might not be masters of any one genre, but it creates a fine amalgam nonetheless.
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BIOGRAPHY/AMG
by Andrew Leahey

Although formed during the post-punk revival of the late '90s, the National took inspiration from a wider set of influences, including country-rock, Americana, indie rock, and Brit-pop. The lineup began taking shape in Ohio and officially cemented itself in New York, with baritone vocalist Matt Berninger joining forces with two sets of brothers -- Scott (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums), and Aaron (guitar) and Bryce Dessner (guitar). After establishing themselves as a live act, the bandmates made their studio debut with The National, a self-titled record that appeared in 2001 to considerable acclaim. Two years later, the band returned with Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers, a deft blending of alternative country and chamber pop that found the band partnering with producer Peter Katis.

The National continued working with Katis throughout the rest of the decade. Following the release of an EP, Cherry Tree, in 2004, the band signed with Beggars Banquet and released Alligator. Although sales were modest, Alligator proved to be one of the year's most critically approved releases. Released in 2007, Boxer, an ambitious effort that featured orchestration by the Clogs' Padma Newsome and piano by Sufjan Stevens, fared similarly well. It also became the band's first album to chart fairly well, peaking at number 67 on the Billboard 200.

A documentary by French filmmaker Vincent Moon was released in 2008, capturing the band during the Boxer recording sessions. That same year, the National released The Virginia EP, a collection of new material and various B-sides, and began working on a new studio album with Katis. High Violet appeared two years later, earning the guys the highest marks of their career and going gold in multiple countries. Trouble Will Find Me, the group's sixth long-player, was issued in 2013 and featured guest appearances from Sharon Van Etten, Sufjan Stevens, Dark Dark Dark's Nona Marie Invie, St. Vincent, Doveman, and Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Perry. The Grammy-nominated album peaked at the number three slot on the Billboard 200. In 2015 the group issued a limited-edition nine-LP box set entitled Lot Of Sorrow, which chronicled the group's epic 2013 MoMA-hosted performance art collaboration with Icelandic artist Ragnar Kjartansson, which saw the band perform the song "Sorrow" (from High Violet) for six straight hours (105 times).

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