Never. Official website of The National. They’re still playing the long game and winning, with family and friendship at their core. The National have announced that they'll be releasing their seminal 2010 album 'High Violet' on vinyl for the first time – and will celebrate by livestreaming a special show from the era tonight. America is finally going to stand up and be what it’s claimed and promised for so long but hasn’t been’. High Violet is the fifth studio album by The National, which was released on May 10, 2010 in Europe and on May 11, 2010 in North America via 4AD. United in their vision and ambition, The National would finish what might still be their most cohesive and complete album to date. Of all the indie rock bands to emerge from New York City at the turn of the millennium, only a … The National are set to release a remastered version of their iconic album High Violet to celebrate its tenth anniversary.. The world's defining voice in music and pop culture since 1952. If they weren’t separated and trapped in their homes right now, The National would be prepping to celebrate ‘High Violet’ by playing it in full at a run of shows peppering the schedule for the final lap of their tour for their acclaimed eighth album, 2019’s ‘I Am Easy To Find’. The record may feature guest spots from indie glitterati such as Sufjan Stevens, Bon Iver‘s Justin Vernon, and Arcade Fire‘s Richard Reed Parry, but they never distract from the record itself. It was the kind of reaction reserved for one of those very special records. “We loved the record when it was done,” says Berninger, “but whole career was just a series of moments of going, ‘We’ve made it! Lyrically, Berninger reels through his usual themes of “trying to figure out who you are and if home is a place”. The sculpture on the album cover was created by artist Mark Fox, and is called The Binding Force. I’ve had manifest delusion since I was a kid. But first they had to iron out some of the creases in their creative process. Taking a cue from NPR's Exclusive First Listen Series, The New York Times is getting into the streaming-album-preview game, choosing The National's High We wanted to reach everybody. After a long to-and-fro about how the coronavirus crisis is taking its toll on the physical, mental and societal health of America, he admits that the necessary quarantine has given him “the opportunity to process, slow down and chew on everything in a different way instead of chasing this one upward trajectory”. The five-piece rock band formed in 1999 originally released the album in 2010. The band's fifth album catapulted them from indie darlings to festival headliners. “Meeting Obama seemed more important than being on any big stage,” says Berninger. Matt Berninger is now the polymath rock star he would pose as back when he was a kid. “I have so many songs about trying to find out who I am. The band endured a prolonged period of obscurity from their 2001 self-titled debut album and 2003’s underrated follow-up ‘Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers’; while The Strokes were scoring touchdowns for NYC’s garage rock revival scene, The National were stuck on the bench. “We’d just come off tour with R.E.M.,” remembers Berninger. The NME Big Read: The National – “Sex, death and losing – what else is there?”, a record deal for his debut solo album ‘Serpentine Prison. The National are reissuing High Violet to mark the 10th anniversary of the release. The National are rousing-rock sad sacks in a time-honored tradition: Joy Division, the Cure, Nick Cave. I was also wondering if I’d make art and music for the rest of my life. The band produced the album themselves assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their previous albums Alligator and Boxer at their own studio in Brooklyn, New York, and at Katis’ Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut. And all it took was friendship, fatherhood and advice from Michael Stipe. High Violet, an Album by The National. Genres: Indie Rock. Whatever’s wrong in your heart or in your life, the record absorbs it like a sponge. But at the time [it was] hard to have any perspective on it.”, “Meeting Obama seemed more important than being on any big stage”. Pennebaker and Chris Hegudus, Monday at 5 … ... Due to the ongoing global situation, we regret to inform you that our upcoming 2020 Australian & New Zealand tour has been cancelled. “Another thing that Michael Stipe told us was: ‘Remember you were friends first’. The National 2020 - 2021 Tour Dates for their current Tour! “All the songs I’ve ever loved are fluid enough for me to sink into them and be the character,” Berninger replies. “Looking back now, the beginning of an eight-year Obama presidency – compared to what we’ve been living through now with four years of a fascist… I mean – wow, talk about perspective.”. High Violet, the new full-length record by the National, is a nervy, melodic, explosive and beautiful set of songs that find the band at the height of their collaborative powers. It me happy, then sad, then happy it captures the sadness so honestly ... Sleep Well Beast Trouble Will Find Me High Violet Boxer Alligator. Moderators. Message the mods. High Violet, the National’s lush masterpiece of grit and sorrow, turns 10 this year. Featuring art-rock and indie-rock sounds, the album includes some of their most popular now-classics such as Bloodbuzz Ohio. “I think that’s a thread I always walk along. 2005’s ‘Alligator’, their third album, first perfected the combination of dark, raw-nerved realism and heart-bursting indie anthemics that make up the DNA of the band we know today. “Sometimes something forces you to shut down for a while,” says Berninger of his run of bad luck, “and you come back and it’s an opportunity to remember why you’re doing this.”. A decade in, The National had finally graduated, and they’d done it without compromise. The band produced the album themselves assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their previous albums Alligator and Boxer at their own studio in Brooklyn, New York, and at Katis’ Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut. On ‘England’ he addresses a missed loved one (“You must be somewhere in London, you must be loving your life in the rain”) and on ‘Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks’ he makes the startling observation that “all the very best of us  string ourselves up for love”. 10 years ago, The National enjoyed something of an Indian summer. I really wanted to so bad.”. The National now rub shoulders with Arcade Fire and The Strokes as a bonafide indie institution. With a number songs written with wife, longtime collaborator and former fiction editor at The New Yorker Carin Besser, the issues of family, time, movement, and the impact of fatherhood weigh heavy on his mind throughout the record. © 2020 NME is a member of the media division of BandLab Technologies. Why did ‘High Violet’ strike such a chord? Any band featuring two sets of brothers (twin guitarists Aaron and Bryce Dessner and drummer and bassist Bryan and Scott Devendorf) is going to have to deal with more tension than most. In typical National fashion, they couldn’t simply savour the taste of success. All the things we needed were always there in good songs.”. The second you do, it’s over. Oh, no we haven’t!’ Never count your fucking chickens. High Violet is specific and exquisite and if The National were already your thing, you basically knew two years ago how it’d sound. These were shot at Radio City Music Hall, Prospect Park, The Wellmont Theater, The Studio @ Webster Hall, The High Violet Annex, Philadelphia Academy of Music, Beacon Theatre and Coachella. The National 'High Violet' 10 Year Anniversary LP Out Now Jun 20, 2020 The National Release Never Before Seen Concert Film 'Guilty Party: Basilica Hudson' The agutierrezb 2019 record collection challenge So I've decided to embark on my own personal challenge, which consists of listening every record in my collection before the end of the year. The National kicks off the U.S. leg of their tour to support High Violet this Friday in Los Angeles. “We always fought, and we fought so much while making ‘Boxer’ to the point where it had gotten unhealthy,” admits Berninger. High Violet was the National’s moment in all of this. As well as writing songs constantly, he’s also working on a sitcom TV adaptation of Mistaken For Strangers with his brother and Besser, as well as a sequel to the original film. On March 10, 2010, the band performed "Terrible Love", the lead track from High Violet, on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. The National turn 20 this year. High Violet was released on May 11, 2010 in the U.S. to widespread critical acclaim. Matt Berninger is calling from lockdown in his home in California. You get out there and do your best.”, Matt Berninger of The National perform onstage during Bonnaroo 2010 (Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic). I don’t think any of us did. on Saturday 19th September 2020 Gigs [ September 8, 2020 ] ALBUM REVIEW: FatNick – This Is Not A Chiptune Album Reviews [ September 8, 2020 ] STEPS return with brand new album & 14-date arena tour Gigs [ September 7, 2020 ] PALACE announce ‘Someday, Somewhere’ EP, out October 23rd New music You just pose, you absorb and you try. ‘High Violet’, with a title inspired by overhearing talk of the threat levels in New York after 9/11 (‘high orange’ being the most severe), was the crystallisation of all that they’d previously sought to master – but with a more accessible sheen. The triple LP package includes a third LP which … At that point we were like, ‘Oh shit, maybe we’re safer going down the none at all route…’”, But, he continues, “I didn’t want that. The National have announced they will be releasing a 10-year anniversary expanded edition of their 2010 album High Violet, on June 19th, 2020. In the words of the NME review at the time, ‘High Violet’ was a sign of the band finally becoming “fully grown-up, coloured in and going overground”. The National. It was a whirlwind period, wonderfully captured in the documentary Mistaken For Strangers, starring and directed by Berninger’s brother Tom. 10 years later and what’s going on in the White House now seems more backward and “gross” than ever imaginable. The National - High Violet. “We knew that we hadn’t fucked up and we knew we weren’t finished. Why don’t you write a radio hit?’ We were like, ‘We’ve been trying since day one! It sounded like a coronation. At the same time, there was so much division. View credits, reviews, tracks and shop for the 2020 Purple/Clear Split Vinyl release of High Violet (10th Anniversary Expanded Edition) on Discogs. High Violet is the fifth studio album by the National, which was released on May 10, 2010 in Europe and on May 11, 2010 in North America via 4AD. u/elephantgun42. CAD3X03CD; CD). Stipe was right. We shed our skins, we change, we evolve. Heading into their fifth album, The National had to figure out who they were, and who they wanted to be. I wanted to be a rock star. The National still don’t have a hit to their name. The band produced the album themselves, assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their previous albums Alligator and Boxer at their own studio in Brooklyn, New York, and at Katis' Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut. Perfectly measured and never overblown, ‘High Violet’ is the victorious sound of a band reaching ever upwards. High Violet is the fifth studio album by The National, which was released on May 10, 2010 in Europe and on May 11, 2010 in North America via 4AD. Includes The National's current concert schedule and past tour dates for your convenience! ‘High Violet’ was us following all of Michael’s advice.”, “Michael Stipe teased us saying, ‘Why don’t you guys just write a pop song’?”, Feeling “happy but depleted and desperate for this record to be good”, they started work, then swiftly halted. While it’s tempting to trace that thread throughout his life, though, he insists: “I’m entirely different to the man I was when I made ‘High Violet’. The National, High Violet (4AD, 2010) Credits Already exhausted from recently becoming a father, Berninger was struck down by a nasty bout of flu – and then his grandmother died. It seems that The National frontman is in the perfect mood to take stock and look back over the last decade for the upcoming 10th anniversary of the band’s breakthrough album ‘High Violet’. On ‘Afraid Of Everyone’ he sings: “With my kid on my shoulders I try not to hurt anybody I like – but I don’t have the drugs to sort it out”. The searching for who I was going to be – and trying to figure out who I used to be – was all part of that process. Either way, the band’s real ‘pinch me’ moment arrived in September 2010, when they were invited to perform to 25,000 people before a speech from Barack Obama at a rally in Wisconsin. The National Zilker Park, Oct. 10 ... starting off with the low-key "Anybody's Ghost" off the new High Violet. The album reached Number Five in the UK and Number Three on the US Billboard 100. Infobox. I don’t think we ever feel like that. The National formed in 1999 in Berninger’s native Cincinnati, Ohio before they moved to New York. u/TallSaint. The National. Tickets purchased online … That pops up in our heads all the time. We wanted to be a big band. 2007’s stately and opulent ‘Boxer’ was showered with acclaim, but the indie darlings were still far from the arena-filling heights of many of their peers. I Am Easy To Find. If they’re coming to your neck of the woods, you should definitely go see them. We never feel like we achieved what we wanted to do.”. 2010’s ‘High Violet’ was a landmark record for the band, elevating them from cult curiosity to chart-bothering festival headliners. Berninger has just inked a record deal for his debut solo album ‘Serpentine Prison’ (literally – he signed the contract when NME reminded him on the phone). Berninger admits that “touring was really hard until about five or six years ago”, adding he used to “battle” within himself on stage, but is now far more comfortable in his own skin and less “emotionally wrought”. I think that’s a thread I always walk along”, “I have so many songs about trying to find out who I am, Berninger says. In addition, The National will stream The National - High Violet Live From the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), a film directed by D.A. You’ve got all that shit going on but then you get into the studio and the record is how you connect it all back together again. “You empathise and get inside their soul a little bit. I was married, I had a baby and I was an entirely different person. [ September 8, 2020 ] RYAN MCMULLAN presents: The Napoleon Sessions Live at the Limelight! This, alongside successful support tours with artists like R.E.M., set them on the path to their current popularity. The venues got bigger, the cult grew stronger and the music press lapped up the ‘nearly-men done good’ narrative. Later, you play it again and all of that emotion comes out again. “We’d been a band for 10 years and were exhausted through all the conflict – personal conflict, creative conflict, touring life, living on a bus together for so long. Even from this distance, though, he finds it “hard to tell” if he really enjoyed the original ‘High Violet’ shows as much as you might expect. The introverts opened up and brightened the corners of their black post-punk sound. The band are raising money for their touring crew during lockdown here. The National - Official website. We all have the capacity to become whatever we want.”. Did we feel like we’d ‘arrived’? On May 15, 2020, The National will release the 10-year anniversary deluxe edition of their 2010 album High Violet. And guess what? Take a moment to reflect on that. He adds: “Obama winning was just like, ‘Everything is going to happen now. 10 years ago, The National enjoyed something of an Indian summer. (Though as he sagely notes with that familiar social-distancing-induced Groundhog Day confusion: “Does time even matter any more?”.). ‘High Violet’ spoke loudly to the latest generation of kids who were never picked for the football team, who saw their own story in The National’s tale of geeks longing to be heard. Released 11 May 2010 on 4AD (catalog no. Rated #16 in the best albums of 2010, and #1970 of all-time album.. Michael Stipe teased us saying, ‘Why don’t you guys just write a pop song? Anyone’s Ghost (Live at Brooklyn Academy of Music), England (Live at Brooklyn Academy of Music). On March 24, the band released "Bloodbuzz Ohio", the first single from the album, for free download at the official High Violet website. With their fifth set, perhaps the sad-sackiest … As promised, the new National album is streaming at the NY Times website now (down the left side next to the article). Fully aware of their status as a ‘grower band’ (though Berninger laughs that “that always felt like an underhanded compliment”), they set about writing some songs that would connect straight away and on a huge scale. The release of "High Violet" in 2010 saw them reach the biggest achievements of their career - hitting the top 5 across the UK, US and Canada. You can feel this shift from first notes of opener ‘Terrible Love’: it’s there in the Dessners’ genius sonic textures, which are as rich as ever, but this time with a little more warmth, lift and release. There was an indiegasm across the internet when the anniversary gigs were announced along with the deluxe vinyl reissue. We don’t know how!’ He told us, ‘If you’re going to be in a band that lasts a long time, you either have to write a lot of hits or none at all’. The National to Release High Violet 10th Anniversary Edition With Bonus Tracks Coronavirus: Here’s Every Musician Who Has Canceled Tour Dates So Far [UPDATING] Reviews \ I couldn’t play piano, but I wanted to be Tom Waits, I wanted to be Leonard Cohen, I wanted to be Nick Cave. His vices of weed and wine are now more an aid to help him slip into the songs, rather than a crutch for anxiety and self-awareness. “Seeing a band that good continue to exist and evolve for that long made us realise that we had to go for that. They headlined the second stage at Latitude Festival 2010, with momentum swelling to such an extent that they returned to headline the main stage the following year. In the Obama years, he says, the US exuded “a sense of enlightenment, optimism and possibility”. On the plane back to the funeral, his eardrum burst under the cabin pressure, leaving him unable to hear in his right ear for a while. the national: high violet tour A gallery of images from 2010-2011. ... including advice given by Michael Stipe during the 2008 tour where the National opened for R.E.M. The National release the 10th anniversary expanded edition of ‘High Violet’ on June 19. Q named it their album of 2010 and the band flew off on a vast world tour that would see them play iconic stages such as Glastonbury Festival, the Royal Albert Hall, Radio City Music Hall and Massey Hall. I had been in New York for over 10 years [when we wrote ‘High Violet’], and I definitely felt I wasn’t in Ohio any more. 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