Alligator (The National album)

Alligator
Studio album by the National
Released	April 12, 2005
Studio	Tarquin Studios; Drummerman Studios; Jess and Ole's House; Headgear Studios
Genre	Indie rock post-punk revival
Length	48:00
Label	Beggars Banquet
Producer	Peter Katis and Paul Mahajan
The National chronology
Cherry Tree (2004) Alligator (2005) Boxer (2007)
Singles from Alligator
"Abel" Released: March 14, 2005 "Secret Meeting" Released: August 29, 2005 "Lit Up" Released: November 14, 2005

Alligator is the third studio album by American indie rock band the National, released on April 12, 2005 on Beggars Banquet. Recorded and produced by Peter Katis and Paul Mahajan, the album brought The National critical acclaim and increased their fanbase significantly.

The band performed album track "The Geese of Beverly Road" at the wedding of producer Peter Katis. A photo of the band performing on stage, with couples dancing in the foreground, became the cover of the band's next album Boxer .

The band supported Barack Obama's presidential candidacy in 2008. In July of that year, the band designed and sold a T-shirt featuring Obama's image above the words "Mr. November", a reference to both the closing track on the album and the month of the U.S. presidential election. All proceeds were donated to Obama's campaign. The song had been written, in part, about John Kerry's candidacy four years earlier. ^[1]

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	82/100 [2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Alternative Press	4/5 [4]
Entertainment Weekly	A− [5]
Mojo	[6]
NME	6/10 [7]
Pitchfork	7.9/10 [8]
Q	[9]
Rolling Stone	[10]
Stylus Magazine	A− [11]
Uncut	[12]

Reception

Writing for Pitchfork , Joe Tangari described Alligator as "satisfying and engaging," though "not quite as bracing" as the band's previous album, Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers. ^[13] Christian Brodal of NPR stated that "the band seems to trust the melodies to do the work, letting them unwind slightly surreptitiously and on the best songs hook you with a winning off-hand sweetness," though criticized some songs on the record as feeling "too slight". ^[14]

Alligator appeared on many year-end top 10 lists, including Uncut and Planet Sound , both of which ranked it as the number two album of 2005. Pitchfork ranked Alligator at number 40 in their top albums of the 2000s list. ^[15] Alligator has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide. ^[16]

In a 2015 retrospective, Stereogum 's Chris Deville stated that "listening to it now is like looking at an old photograph of someone you’ve known forever and being stunned by their childlike vigor." ^[17] A 2020 retrospective, from Consequence 's Grant Sharples stated that Alligator was the "first record on which The National are The National," nothing that the album was also the first time where a "quiet band decided to get loud." ^[18]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner, except where noted

Alligator track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Secret Meeting" (Berninger, A. Dessner, Scott Devendorf)	3:44
2.	"Karen" (Berninger, Bryce Dessner)	3:59
3.	"Lit Up"	2:55
4.	"Looking for Astronauts"	3:23
5.	"Daughters of the SoHo Riots" (Berninger, B. Dessner, S. Devendorf)	3:59
6.	"Baby, We'll Be Fine"	3:21
7.	"Friend of Mine"	3:25
8.	"Val Jester" (Berninger, B. Dessner)	3:00
9.	"All the Wine" (The National)	3:15
10.	"Abel"	3:37
11.	"The Geese of Beverly Road" (Berninger, A. Dessner, S. Devendorf)	4:57
12.	"City Middle" (Berninger, B. Dessner)	4:28
13.	"Mr. November"	3:57

Limited expanded edition bonus disc

No.	Title	Length
1.	"The Thrilling of Claire"	4:32
2.	"Driver, Surprise Me"	3:20
3.	"Lit Up" (Remix)	3:00
4.	"Secret Meeting" (Remix)	3:45
5.	"The Geese of Beverly Road" (Live)	4:35
6.	"Abel" (Enhanced Video)
7.	"Lit Up" (Enhanced Video)
8.	"Daughters of the SoHo Riots" (Enhanced Video)

Singles

• "Abel" (March 14, 2005)
  • CD single b/w: "Driver, Surprise Me" and "Keep It Upstairs"
  • 7" single b/w: "Warm Singing Whores"
  • Digital download b/w: "The Thrilling of Claire"
• "Secret Meeting" (August 29, 2005)
  • Digital download: "Secret Meeting" (Remix) b/w: "The Geese of Beverly Road" (Live)
• "Lit Up" (November 14, 2005)
  • CD single: "Lit Up" (Remix) b/w: "You've Done It Again, Virginia"
  • Digital download: "Lit Up" (Remix) b/w: "You've Done It Again, Virginia" and "Lit Up" (Parisian Party Version)

Personnel

The National

• Matt Berninger - lead vocals
• Aaron Dessner - lead and rhythm guitars, backing vocals, keyboards, piano, bass
• Bryce Dessner - rhythm and lead guitars
• Scott Devendorf - bass, backing vocals, rhythm guitar
• Bryan Devendorf - drums, percussion

Additional musicians

• An-Lin Bardin – cello
• Carin Besser – backing vocals
• Nathalie Dessner – backing vocals
• Rachael Elliott – bassoon
• Peter Katis – backing vocals
• Nick Lloyd – piano, organ, keyboards
• Nate Martinez – additional guitar
• Padma Newsome – viola, violin, piano, organ, orchestration
• Sara Phillips – clarinet

Recording personnel

• Paul Mahajan – recording
• Peter Katis – additional recording and production, mixing
• Greg Calbi – mastering

Artwork

• Mathieu Saura – photography
• Distant Station Ltd. – design

Certifications

Certifications for Alligator

Region	Certification	Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI) [19]	Silver	60,000‡
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

1. "The National". musicOMH. 2009-08-27. Retrieved 2012-01-13.
2. "Reviews for Alligator by The National". Metacritic . Retrieved January 13, 2012.
3. Monger, James Christopher. "Alligator – The National". AllMusic . Retrieved January 13, 2012.
4. "The National: Alligator". Alternative Press (202): 174. May 2005.
5. Weingarten, Marc (April 18, 2005). "Alligator". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 18, 2017. Retrieved June 2, 2015.
6. "The National: Alligator". Mojo (138): 108. May 2005.
7. "The National: Alligator". NME : 58. April 9, 2005.
8. Tangari, Joe (April 4, 2005). "The National: Alligator". Pitchfork . Retrieved May 12, 2012.
9. "The National: Alligator". Q (226): 114. May 2005.
10. Hoard, Christian (April 21, 2005). "Alligator". Rolling Stone . Retrieved June 2, 2015.
11. Funk, Peter (April 12, 2005). "The National – Alligator – Review". Stylus Magazine . Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved January 13, 2012.
12. Hughes, Rob (May 2005). "The National – Alligator". Uncut (96): 94. Archived from the original on May 11, 2005. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
13. Tangari, Joe. "The National: Alligator". Pitchfork. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
14. "The National: 'Alligator'". NPR. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
15. "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 50-21". Pitchfork . 2009-10-01. Archived from the original on 16 October 2009. Retrieved 2009-10-01.
16. Archived October 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
17. "Alligator Turns 10". Stereogum. 2015-04-13. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
18. "The National Came Into Their Own 15 Years Ago on Alligator". Consequence. 2020-04-07. Retrieved 2025-04-03.
19. "British album certifications – National – Alligator". British Phonographic Industry . Retrieved October 22, 2022.