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. The music is wide-ranging in its moods, by turns intimate and rough, expansive and spare, full of stark angles and atmosphere. Berninger's singing wild, half-broken, sly evokes a feeling of being haunted, by love, by paranoia, by something just out of reach. High Violet may be The National's most thematically twisted record to date but it somehow also manages to be their most infectious and immediate.

The follow-up to 2005's "Alligator" is filled with lush arrangements and sees the band incorporating new instrumentation and expanded musical elements such as piano, trumpet, and more prominent background vocals.

The National's seminal first two releases finally available on vinyl. Having played few live shows before recording this first self-titled release, this was the album that brought early attention to the Ohio-Brooklyn transplants: "this dazzling debut should be the portent of good things to come." Billboard

These five Cincinnati friends recorded two albums for Brassland before signing to Beggars Banquet. Their last effort, "Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers", was touted as one of the year's best by Rolling Stone and other magazines. On "Alligator", Matt Berninger's potent baritone still intones about matters fraught, funny, and sad; about record collections, missing persons, and medium-sized American hearts. "Startling and subtly affecting, The National creeps in like the killer in a bleak gothic novel. Strings tremble, hearts break, and each smoldering song brings a harrowing tale of new pities"--Magnet.

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The National's seminal first two releases finally available on vinyl. Their sophomore album, "Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers", showcased the songwriting and raw emotive power of the quintet: brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner, brothers Bryan and Scott Devendorf and childhood friend Matt Berninger. "...at the outset of The National's second album, "Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers", you just know these boys got it bad." Rolling Stone.

The follow-up to 2005's "Alligator" is filled with lush arrangements and sees the band incorporating new instrumentation and expanded musical elements such as piano, trumpet, and more prominent background vocals.

The National High Violet limited edition expanded version, featuring 2 CDs packaged with O-card. Bonus disc containing eight tracks including an alternate version of "Terrible Love," two brand new songs ("Wake Up Your Saints" and "You Were A Kindness"), two b-sides and three live recordings.

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. The music is wide-ranging in its moods, by turns intimate and rough, expansive and spare, full of stark angles and atmosphere. Berninger s singing wild, half-broken, sly evokes a feeling of being haunted, by love, by paranoia, by something just out of reach. High Violet may be The National s most thematically twisted record to date but it somehow also manages to be their most infectious and immediate.

These five Cincinnati friends recorded two albums for Brassland before signing to Beggars Banquet. Their last effort, "Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers", was touted as one of the year's best by Rolling Stone and other magazines. On "Alligator", Matt Berninger's potent baritone still intones about matters fraught, funny, and sad; about record collections, missing persons, and medium-sized American hearts. "Startling and subtly affecting, The National creeps in like the killer in a bleak gothic novel. Strings tremble, hearts break, and each smoldering song brings a harrowing tale of new pities"--Magnet.