The National is an American rock band from Cincinnati, Ohio, formed in Brooklyn, New York City, in 1999. The band consists of Matt Berninger (vocals), twin brothers Aaron Dessner and Bryce Dessner, as well as brothers Scott Devendorf (bass) and Bryan Devendorf (drums). During live performances, the band is joined by longtime touring members, Ben Lanz and Kyle Resnick. Carin Besser, the wife of Berninger, is not a band member but has written lyrics for the band alongside her husband since its 2007 album Boxer.
Laugh Track is the tenth studio album from American indie rock band the National. The surprise album was released on September 18, 2023, having been announced only days prior. The album's material was mostly written and recorded alongside the band's earlier 2023 album, First Two Pages of Frankenstein, with several songs being re-recorded at producer Tucker Martine's studio after honing their arrangements while on tour in 2023. Preceded by the singles, "Weird Goodbyes", "Alphabet City" and "Space Invader", the album features guest vocal appearances from Justin Vernon, Phoebe Bridgers and Rosanne Cash. Laugh Track has received positive reviews from critics.
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.
Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers is the second studio album by indie rock band the National. It was released in 2003 on Brassland Records. This is the first album on which the band worked with Peter Katis, who would produce the band's next albums Alligator and Boxer.
Boxer is the fourth studio album by American indie rock band the National, released on May 22, 2007, on Beggars Banquet Records. Following its release, the album debuted at number 68 on the U.S. Billboard 200, selling about 9,500 copies in its first week.
The Virginia EP is an EP and compilation album by American indie rock band The National, released on May 20, 2008 on Beggars Banquet Records. The release includes B-sides, demo recordings and live recordings relating to the band's fourth studio album, Boxer (2007). The CD version of the release includes a DVD featuring the documentary film A Skin, A Night by filmmaker Vincent Moon. A vinyl edition of The Virginia EP was issued in January, 2013.
"Fake Empire" is a song by Brooklyn-based indie rock band The National from their fourth studio album, Boxer. The song was released in June 2008 as the album's third and final single.
Aaron Brooking Dessner is an American musician. He is best known as a founding member of the rock band the National, with whom he has recorded nine studio albums; a co-founder of the indie rock duo Big Red Machine, teaming with Bon Iver's Justin Vernon; and a collaborator on Taylor Swift's critically acclaimed studio albums Folklore and Evermore, both of which contended for the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 2021 and 2022, respectively, with the former winning the accolade; as well as The Tortured Poets Department (2024).
Scott Devendorf is an American multi-instrumentalist. He is best known as the bass guitarist for the American indie rock band the National, with whom he has recorded eight studio albums. Devendorf is also a member of the indie rock project LNZNDRF.
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. 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. The sculpture on the album cover was created by artist Mark Fox, and is called The Binding Force.
"Demons" is a song by American indie rock band The National. Written by band members Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner, it appears as the second track on the band's sixth studio album Trouble Will Find Me and was released as the album's first single on April 15, 2013.
"Don't Swallow the Cap" is a song by American indie rock band The National. Written by band members Matt Berninger, Aaron Dessner, and Bryce Dessner, it appears as the third track on the band's sixth studio album Trouble Will Find Me. "Don't Swallow the Cap" was released to United States modern rock radio as the album's second overall single on April 22, 2013.
Day of the Dead is the twenty-fifth compilation release benefiting the Red Hot Organization, an international charity dedicated to raising funds and awareness for HIV and AIDS. Featuring fifty-nine exclusive recordings of covers of Grateful Dead songs by a number of independent artists as a tribute to the band, the compilation was released on May 20, 2016, as five CDs, a limited edition vinyl LP box set, and as a digital download. John Carlin, the founder of the Red Hot Organization, was the executive producer for the album. The members of The National first performed with Bob Weir at his Bay Area studio in 2012 as part of the Headcount benefit The Bridge Session. The group's budding friendship with the Dead cofounder pushed them to record the massive Dead tribute.
"Sea of Love" is a song by American indie rock band The National. Written by band members Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner, it appears as the fifth track on the band's sixth studio album Trouble Will Find Me. "Sea of Love" was released as the album's fourth single on September 2, 2013. The music video for the song, which preceded its release as a radio single, debuted on May 8, 2013 and parodies Russian Zvuki Mu's video for their "Grubyj Zakat" song.
Blue Mountain is the third solo album by former Grateful Dead singer and guitarist Bob Weir, released on September 30, 2016. The album was inspired by his time working as a ranch hand in Wyoming when he was fifteen years old. It is Weir's first solo studio album since Heaven Help the Fool, released in 1978 and first studio album since recording Evening Moods as the leader of RatDog in 2000.
The Campfire Tour is a 2016 mini-tour by Bob Weir backed by members of the indie-rock band the National: Aaron Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, Scott Devendorf, and Josh Kaufman, in support of his third solo album Blue Mountain. The tour spanned nine shows and eight venues on the East and West coasts. The tour began on October 7, 2016, at the Marin County Civic Centre in San Rafael, California and wrapped up on October 20, 2016 at the Chicago Theatre in Chicago, IL. While Weir had enlisted Aaron Dessner of the National to be a part of his backing band for the jaunt, Dessner had pulled out due to a family emergency. Weir announced his longtime collaborator Steve Kimock has stepped up to join the backing band which also includes new addition Jon Shaw on bass as well.
Big Red Machine is the debut studio album by American musicians Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon as Big Red Machine. Dessner is most famous for being a founding member, instrumentalist, songwriter, and producer for The National, and Vernon for being the founding member and frontman of Bon Iver. The majority of the album was recorded in Dessner's shed studio in the Hudson Valley.
"Coney Island" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift featuring the American band the National. Swift, Joe Alwyn, and the brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner wrote the song for Swift's ninth studio album, Evermore (2020). The track was produced by the Dessner brothers, and Matt Berninger contributed guest vocals. An alternative rock and indie folk track, "Coney Island" has lyrics depicting a separated couple's memories in Coney Island. Swift and Berninger respectively sings about their character's perspective reflecting on their past relationship.
"Renegade" is a song recorded by American indie band Big Red Machine featuring American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, released on July 2, 2021, by 37d03d and Jagjaguwar. It was serviced to US triple-A radio on the same day as the third single from the band's second studio album, How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? (2021).
Then Came the Morning is the second full-length studio album by the American folk rock trio the Lone Bellow. The album was released on January 27, 2015 by Descendant Records, and the producer was Aaron Dessner of the National.
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