I have to confess some love.

So sorry I haven’t updated this in a little bit. The past week has been a blur. So I’ll dedicate this post to my musical love interest, The National.

There was one song that just really stood out to me last year. There hasn’t been a song since I heard Radiohead’s Videotape live the year before that just floored me like this. It was “Fake Empire” by the National. I can’t really put into words just how incredible this song is, so I’ll just let you listen. It was that song that lead me to listening to my second favorite album last year, Boxer, and believing that getting the chance to see them live would be a nice, solid, chill experience. Then when I saw them.

Holy shit.

I’ve been at Radiohead and My Morning Jacket’s epic sets from Bonnaroo 2006. I’ve been 3 rows away from a Flaming Lips show. But the pure energy that the National throws at you in that live set that I saw was just something else. Even though it was in a smaller tent, there was probably only about 600 people there, IF even that, I will until the day I die, put that show up there in the spot of being one of the most incredible shows I’ve seen in my life. I’ll give you a little preview of that energy of their live show with a live recording of Mr. November (sort of) down below. But just….if you ever get the chance to see these guys, please do. I’ve never been thrown on my ass by a show like the National threw me to the ground when I saw them last year at Bonnaroo. Here’s hoping I make Lollapalooza like I intend to.

The National – Fake Empire

I have to put this in here since I mentioned it, too. The definite live version of VIdeotape. This is so much more incredible than the studio version on In Rainbows. I was so disappointed the first time I heard it on In Rainbows because I was so used to the epic, incredible piece of music that is found in this recording and in every recording from their 2006 tour. Thankfully I got to see their mind blowing set at Bonnaroo that year and got to hear Videotape the right way .

Radiohead – Videotape (Live, Bonnaroo 2006)

But, back to the National. I’m only throwing four National songs up total in here, with the corresponding versions that I think give goosebumps, they give me them anyway but maybe I’m just easy. Mr. November from their album, Alligator, is good, but it’s nothing NOTHING like them doing it live. Some day I need to make a list on here of songs that just do something to me inside, that lift my soul and make it seem that I transcend to some other place when I hear them. There’s not a lot of them, but this is towards the very top of that list. The Black Sessions version of Mr. November.

The National - Mr. November (Black Sessions)

Most of the time they close their set with About Today and this is just…I’m sorry, I can’t really put these songs into words right now, just listen.

Just listen.

The National – About Today (White Sessions)

Tags: My Morning Jacket, Radiohead, The National