Rome is the definitive live document of The National. Recorded live (without overdubs) on June 3, 2024 at the architecturally stunning venue Parco Della Musica Ennio Morricone, named for the famed Italian film composer, the 21-track LP showcases scintillating versions of beloved songs like "Bloodbuzz Ohio," "Don't Swallow the Cap," "I Need My Girl," "The System Only Dreams in Total Darkness," “England” and "Fake Empire"; plus sharpened readings of recent tracks "Eucalyptus," "New Order T-Shirt," "Tropic Morning News" and the boundary pushing "Smoke Detector."

The double album, mixed by longtime collaborator Peter Katis, spans the band’s 20-plus years of songwriting and reveals how each song has taken on a new life in its live performance. “You have to see this band live” is often said about The National, and now, Rome is the next best thing to actually being there.

Reflecting how the band changes setlists significantly from night to night to cast fresh light on hidden gems from the catalog, Rome is marked by rarities such as show opener “Runaway,” “Lemonworld,” “The Geese of Beverly Road,” “Lit Up” and a tour de force pairing of “Humiliation” from the critically acclaimed album Trouble Will Find Me into Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers’ “Murder Me Rachael.”

The Rome encore features the election anthem “Mr. November,” and, from High Violet, “Terrible Love” and the show-closing fan singalong, “Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks.”

TRACK LISTING

Runaway
Eucalyptus
Tropic Morning News
New Order T-Shirt
Don't Swallow The Cap
Bloodbuzz Ohio
The System Only Dreams In Total Darkness
I Need My Girl
Lemonworld
The Geese Of Beverly Road
Lit Up
Alien
Humiliation
Murder Me Rachael
England
Graceless
Fake Empire
Smoke Detector
Mr November
Terrible Love
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

Critically acclaimed London trio Daughter will celebrate National Album Day 2024 with an exclusive yellow recycled vinyl repressing of their debut foray into soundtrack-making, 'Music from Before the Storm'. With this release, fans of Daughter and the Life Is Strange universe can now revisit and physically own the understated yet elemental score in a new form, apart from its highly sought after yet scarcely available RSD 2017 vinyl variant.

'Music from Before the Storm's transportive yet vast and grounded yet ethereal sonic landscape resulted from the band having been tapped to helm an original musical score for Square Enix’s Life Is Strange: Before The Storm, the highly anticipated prequel to the award-winning 2015 first entry, Life Is Strange. With information from game-producers, the band crafted the score in London in 2017, referencing the game script and concept artwork as inspiration amidst their writing process. As a result, the band’s meticulous, world-building instrumentation is a key factor in the game’s storytelling arch, with various elements of their compositions relaying different sides of the lead character’s emotive state during gameplay. As noted by Line of Best Fit upon its original release with the game: “‘Music from Before the Storm' is a soundtrack that succeeds in encapsulating a great vastness and emotional depth while retaining a clear sonic aesthetic. Daughter have created a work that is cinematic and captivating.”

TRACK LISTING

1. Glass
2. Burn It Down
3. Flaws
4. Hope
5. The Right Way Around
6. Witches
7. Departure
8. All I Wanted
9. I Can't Live Here Anymore
10. Dreams Of William
11. Improve
12. Voices
13. A Hole In The Earth

Dive back into the raw, infectious sound, now available in a special limited edition vinyl reissue. Originally released in 2012, The View's Cheeky for a Reason is the fourth studio album from the Dundee quartet. Often described by the band as "Fleetwood Mac's Rumours done by The Clash," and it's easy to see why. The album is filled with infectious hooks and sing-along choruses, capturing the carefree spirit of The View while also showcasing a band that had matured. Tracks like "How Long" and "The Clock" balance the band's signature playful energy with introspective lyrics, creating a listening experience that is both fun and meaningful. Cheeky for a Reason made a strong impact on the charts, peaking at #9 on the UK Albums Chart and debuting at #1 on the UK Indie Chart, solidifying The View’s reputation as one of the UK’s most beloved indie rock bands. The album was met with positive reviews, with critics praising the album's catchy tunes and the band’s evolving sound. NME highlighted the album’s “unapologetic, feel-good vibe,” while The Guardian commended its “upbeat and infectious nature,” describing it as a perfect summer soundtrack. The album’s lead single, "How Long," became a fan favorite and received extensive airplay, contributing to the album's enduring appeal. The album enjoyed strong sales in its initial run, selling over 50,000 copies in the UK alone. The View's loyal fan base and their reputation for raucous live performances have kept the album in demand, leading to this eagerly awaited vinyl reissue. “The subdued ‘Tacky Tattoo’, finds Falconer at an electric piano and in uncharacteristically soulful voice - it is the most beautiful thing they’ve ever recorded.” –NME

TRACK LISTING

1. How Long
2. AB (We Need Treatment)
3. Hold On Now
4. Anfield Row
5. Bullet
6. Bunker (Solid Ground)
7. The Clock
8. Piano Interlude
9. Hole In The Bed
10. Sour Little Sweetie
11. Lean On My World
12. Tacky Tattoo

This October marks the 60th Anniversary of The Animals' self-titled debut album. Having never been reissued on vinyl before, the 60th Anniversary Edition sees the album pressed on yellow vinyl and adds the hit 'House of the Rising Sun' to the track list.

TRACK LISTING

1. Story Of Bo Diddley
2. Bury My Body
3. Dimples
4. I've Been Around
5. I'm In Love Again
6. The Girl Can't Help It
7. I'm Mad Again
8. She Said Yeah
9. The Right Time
10. Memphis Tennessee
11. Boom Boom
12. Around And Around
13. House Of The Rising Sun

The Proclaimers, formed by twin brothers Charlie and Craig Reid emerged in 1987. The duo are renowned for their singing style with a distinct Scottish accent and their infectiously melodic songs about love, politics, and life in Scotland. Well-known for their most memorable songs "Sunshine on Leith", "I'm On My Way", "Letter from America" and of course, the hit single "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)”.

This Is the Story is the debut studio album from The Proclaimers, originally released in 1987 and celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. It contains the Gerry Rafferty-produced full band version of "Letter from America", which reached number 3 in the UK Single Chart.

TRACK LISTING

1. Throw The 'R' Away
2. Over And Done With
3. Misty Blue
4. The Part That Really Matters
5. (I'm Gonna) Burn Your Playhouse Down
6. Letter From America (Acoustic Version)
7. Sky Takes The Soul
8. It Broke My Heart
9. The First Attack
10. Make My Heart Fly
11. Beautiful Truth
12. The Joyful Kilmarnock Blues

At the end of their US tour in June 1985 The Sisters of Mercy effectively split up. Returning in November 1987 with ‘Floodland’ (UK #9), and still aided by the trusty Doktor Avalanche, Eldritch hired former Gun Club and Fur Bible bassist Patricia Morrison to complete the new line-up. Featuring the hit singles ‘This Corrosion’ (UK #7), ‘Dominion’ (UK #13) and ‘Lucretia My Reflection’ (UK #20), production duties were shared with none other than famed Meat Loaf writer Jim Steinman. Available for National Album Day on 1LP black ice galaxy vinyl for a limited run.

TRACK LISTING

1. Dominion / Mother Russia
2. Flood I
3. Lucretia My Reflection
4. 1959
5. This Corrosion
6. Flood II
7. Driven Like The Snow
8. Never Land (A Fragment)

Originally released in 1981, La folie is the 6th studio album by English new wave band the Stranglers. Available for National Album Day on 1LP translucent pink vinyl for a limited run.

TRACK LISTING

1. Non Stop
2. Everybody Loves You When You're Dead
3. Tramp
4. Let Me Introduce You To The Family
5. Ain't Nothin' To It
6. The Man They Love To Hate
7. Pin Up
8. It Only Takes Two To Tango
9. Golden Brown
10. How To Find True Love And Happiness In The Present Day
11. La Folie

Originally released in on 23 October 1989, The Wedding Present’s second studio album, Bizarro, marks its 35th anniversary this year. It is home to two of their biggest tracks – Brassneck and Kennedy, their first UK Top 40 hit. The band are touring Europe and the UK with special Bizarro 35th anniversary shows in September and October. This release is on biovinyl, a more environmentally sustainable product as it doesn’t contain any petroleum content.

TRACK LISTING

1. Brassneck
2. Crushed
3. No
4. Thanks
5. Kennedy
6. What Have I Said Now?
7. Granadaland
8. Bewitched
9. Take Me!
10. Be Honest

Jordan: The Comeback is seen by many as the finest, most ambitious album in the Prefab Sprout catalogue. The album comprises four movements and each appearing on its own side on this 2LP set and is home to some of their most well loved tracks including Wild Horses, We Let The Stars Go and Looking For Atlantis. This is the first time the album has been available on colour vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

1. Looking For Atlantis
2. Wild Horses"
3. Machine Gun Ibiza
4. We Let The Stars Go
5. Carnival 2000
6. Jordan: The Comeback
7. Jesse James Symphony
8. Jesse James Bolero
9. Moon Dog
10. All The World Loves Lovers
11. All Boys Believe Anything
12. The Ice Maiden
13. Paris Smith
14. The Wedding March
15. One Of The Broken
16. Michael
17. Mercy
18. Scarlet Nights
19. Doo Wop In Harlem

The band celebrate their 35th anniversary this year and this colour vinyl release mark’s the 30th anniversary of Jollification, their third album. It is their biggest selling album and home to hit singles such as Lucky You, Perfect and Change

TRACK LISTING

1. Perfect
2. Lucky You
3. Open Goals
4. Change
5. Why Why Why
6. Marvellous
7. Feeling Lazy)
8. My Best Day
9. Punch & Judy
10. Telling Tales

Produced by Tony Visconti , "The Slider" remains the defnitive soundtrack to Bolanmania, containing two Number 1 singles, 'Telegram Sam', and 'Metal Guru', perhaps the epitome ofglam rock famboyance.
 
This limited National Album Day release releases this iconic British rock album on translucent red vinyl, with a printed inner sleeve containing lyrics and credits.

TRACK LISTING

1. Metal Guru
2. Mystic Lady
3. Rock On
4. The Slider
5. Baby Boomerang
6. Spaceball Ricochet
7. Buick Mackane
8. Telegram Sam
9. Rabbit Fighter
10. Baby Strange
11. Ballrooms Of Mars
12. Chariot Choogle
13. Main Man

Originally formed in 1977 as The Coventry Automatics, The Specials combined Jamaican ska and Rocksteady mixed with the energy of punk and launched a whole Ska Revival which helped fellow like-minded bands Madness, The Beat and The Selecter to release their first singles.

The Specials first single, 'Gangsters', was released in May 1979 with independent distribution by Rough Trade and the initial pressing of just 5,000 records sold out. The band and label soon signed with Chrysalis Records who picked up on the release of 'Gangsters.' The next single, 'A Message To You Rudy', followed in September with their frst album released soon after in October.

TRACK LISTING

1. A Message To You Rudy
2. Do The Dog
3. It's Up To You
4. Nite Klub
5. Doesn't Make It Alright
6. Concrete Jungle
7. Too Hot
8. Monkey Man
9. (Dawning Of A) New Era
10. Blank Expression
11. Stupid Marriage
12. Too Much Too Young
13. Little Bitch
14. You're Wondering

1988's Fisherman's Blues is the Waterboys's 4th album, for whichthe band were joined by traditional Irish players over a 3 year period, recording a mix of Irish trad, country, Soul and Rock, resulting in a stripped- down, folky sound which was a marked step away from the "big music" he founded and pursued in previous albums.

TRACK LISTING

1. Fisherman's Blues
2. We Will Not Be Lovers
3. Strange Boat
4. World Party
5. Sweet Thing
6. And A Bang On The Ear
7. Has Anybody Here Seen Hank?
8. When Will We Be Married?
9. When Ye Go Away
10. Dunford's Fancy
11. The Stolen Child

The Subways' Money & Celebrity, is now available in a limited edition red and white split vinyl. Originally released in 2011, the third studio album by the powerhouse trio is packed with adrenaline-pumping anthems that cemented their place in the UK indie rock scene. The album showcases the band’s ability to blend infectious melodies with biting social commentary, capturing the spirit of a generation. Recorded and produced by Stephen Street (The Smiths, BLUR, Kaiser Chiefs) in London, Money & Celebrity is The Subways at their most dynamic, featuring hit singles like "We Don’t Need Money to Have a Good Time," which received widespread radio support, including heavy rotation on BBC Radio 1, and "It's a Party," which became a fan favourite after the band released it out of the blue via their website with no prior warning, crashing their server. The album stormed into the charts, peaking at #16 on the UK Albums Chart. The lead single "We Don’t Need Money to Have a Good Time" was a radio favourite, climbing to #12 on the UK Indie Chart and #1 on the UK Physical Singles Chart. The album also enjoyed chart success across Europe, reaching the Top 20 in Germany and Austria.

TRACK LISTING

1. It's A Party
2. We Don't Need Money To Have A Good Time
3. Celebrity
4. I Wanna Dance With You
5. Popdeath
6. Like I Love You
7. Money
8. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
9. Down Our Street
10. Rumour
11. Friday
12. Leave My Side

Travis’ iconic album The Man Who - released in May 1999 - celebrates its 25th Anniversary this year. Their hit album – which is certified six times-platinum in the UK – features the timeless singles, ‘Writing To Reach You’, ‘Driftwood’, ‘Turn’ and possibly the band’s most well-known song, ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me?’ This 25th Anniversary edition, will be pressed on white vinyl, available for National Albums Day 2024. 

TRACK LISTING

1. Writing To Reach You
2. The Fear
3. As You Are
4. Driftwood
5. The Last Laugh Of The Laughter
6. Turn
7. Why Does It Always Rain On Me?
8. Luv
9. She's So Strange
10. Slide Show 

Originally released in the summer of 1995, The Chemical Brothers’ debut album, Exit Planet Dust, remains a key record of the 1990s. Reaching No.9 in the UK, it introduced “big beat” music – as the club-filling mix of hip-hop and acid house had been christened – to a mainstream audience, helping to fuel its dominance on the British dance scene as the 20th century came to a close.

Opening with ‘Leave Home’, the Chems’ debut single and a swift UK Top 20 hit, the album also features collaborations with folktronica icon Beth Orton, on closing cut ‘Alive Alone’, and Charlatans’ frontman, Tim Burgess, on the album’s second single, ‘Life is Sweet’, which took The Chemical Brothers back into the UK charts, hitting No.25 following its September 1995 release.

Amid these standouts is a track that had already become a signature tune for the duo of Ed Simons and Tim Rowlands: ‘Chemical Beats’. Originally issued on the highly collectable Fourteenth Century Sky 12” EP – issued in 1994 under the Chems’ earlier name, The Dust Brothers – it had already become a club classic by the time of Exit Planet Dust’s release, and, 30 years on, it still sounds huge on this 140g red- and gold-coloured double-vinyl reissue.

TRACK LISTING

1. Leave Home
2. In Dust We Trust
3. Song To The Siren
4. Three Little Birdies Down Beats5. Fuck Up Beats
6. Chemical Beats
7. Chico's Groove
8. One Too Many Mornings
9. Life Is Sweet
10. Playground For A Wedgeless Firm
11. Alive Alone

1982 was a decisive year for The Fall. Their critically acclaimed album ‘Hex Enduction Hour’ was released in March on Kamera Records, closely followed by ‘Room To Live’ in September of that year.

‘Hex Enduction Hour’ was the fourth studio album by The Fall, building on their lo-fi production and featuring a two-drummer line-up. The album was recorded in
Reykjavik, Iceland and Hitchin, Hertfordshire.

Featuring the classic line-up of Mark E. Smith alongside Steve Hanley (bass), Craig Scanlon (guitar), Karl Burns (drums), Paul Hanley (drums) and Marc Riley (guitar). This is another fine addition to Cherry Red’s series of deluxe Fall re-issues – “Fall Sound Archive”.

TRACK LISTING

1. THE CLASSICAL
2. JAWBONE AND THE AIR-RIFLE
3. HIP PRIEST
4. FORTRESS / DEER PARK
5. MERE PSEUD MAG. ED.
6. WINTER (HOSTEL-MAXI)
7. WINTER 2
8. JUST STEP S'WAYS
9. WHO MAKES THE NAZIS?
10. ICELAND
11. AND THIS DAY

Formed in London after a fortuitous meeting between Mick Jagger and Keith Richards on a railway platform at Dartford train station, The Rolling Stones, one of the greatest rock’n’roll bands of all time, released in 1970 a record that is often described as one of the greatest live albums of all time. An exceptional document of the group’s North American tour of November 1969, largely taken from two storming nights at New York City’s Madison Square Garden, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! features a set of Stones classics, among them the opening statement of intent, ‘Jumpin’ Jack Flash’, as well as ‘Sympathy For the Devil’, ‘Honky Tonk Women’, a nine-minute ‘Midnight Rambler’ and the high-octane closer, ‘Street Fighting Man’.

Powered by the classic rhythm section of Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman (with Ian Stewart assisting on piano), and with Keith Richards and Mick Taylor trading guitar licks, and Mick Jagger whipping the crowd into a frenzy, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! shows just what a tight outfit the Stones had become as they entered the new decade. Following their cover of Chuck Berry’s ‘Little Queenie’, Jagger declares, “Charlie’s good tonight, innee?”, and it is the late drummer who, along with a donkey named Jack, features on the album’s front cover, shot by legendary rock photographer David Bailey. Following its release in September 1970, Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! would be the first live album to hit No.1 on the UK charts, and to this day it remains one of the most influential live recordings of all time.

Reissued on 180g coloured vinyl for National Album Day, this pressing of the album Includes an archival lithograph print featuring film strips from the concert.

TRACK LISTING

1. Jumpin' Jack Flash
2. Carol
3. Stray Cat Blues
4. Love In Vain
5. Midnight Rambler
6. Sympathy For The Devil
7. Live With Me
8. Little Queenie
9. Honky Tonk Women
10. Street Fighting Man

Through the Looking Glass is the eighth studio album by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. The album is a collection of cover versions. It was co-produced with Mike Hedges and released in March 1987 on Polydor. Through the Looking Glass was preceded by the single "This Wheel's on Fire". It was the second and final album recorded with guitarist John Valentine Carruthers. Some of their cover songs were praised by the original artists themselves.

TRACK LISTING

1. This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us
2. Hall Of Mirrors
3. Trust In Me
4. This Wheel's On Fire
5. Strange Fruit
6. You're Lost Little Girl
7. The Passenger
8. Gun
9. Sea Breezes
10. Little Johnny Jewel

Among the great British bands celebrated during National Album Day, cult Liverpudlian act The La’s are in a league of their own: unlike all the other groups they share shelf space with this year, they are the sole group to have released only one album. Issued in October 1990, their self-titled debut has been hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time by NME, and was also placed at No.13 in Rolling Stone’s 2021 run-down of the 40 greatest “one-album wonders”.

Selling 300,000 copies in the US and 500,000 copies at home, The La’s has become an indie touchstone. No shortage of that reputation rests on the single ‘There She Goes’, a reissue of which hit No.13 in the UK, on its way towards racking up double-platinum sales figures. With their album now making a return on “coke-bottle green” wax, The La’s have more than secured their place in British music history.

TRACK LISTING

1. Son Of A Gun
2. I Can't Sleep
3. Timeless Melody
4. Liberty Ship
5. There She Goes
6. Doledrum
7. Feelin'
8. Way Out
9. I.O.U.
10. Freedom Song
11. Failure
12. Looking Glass

Formed in London during the first wave of punk, in 1976, The Slits were all-female firebrands whose influence stretches far beyond music, shaping fashion trends and forcing a wholesale rethink of cultural attitudes towards
women in rock. Mixing African rhythms and Jamaican dub into their unique sonic blend, Ari Up (vocals), Viv Albertine (guitar) and Tessa Pollitt (bass) transcended barriers of all kinds – social, political and musical – inspiring
generations of female musicians to give the finger to the establishment and follow their own paths.

With its DNA traceable in everything from the riot grrrl movement of the 1990s to the music of grunge pioneer Courtney Love, electro-punk agitator Peaches, rapper and activist M.I.A. and returning Arkansas rockers Gossip, The Slits’ seminal debut album, Cut, has lost none of its power. With its densely layered sound providing a backdrop to songs that tackle such unlikely subject matter as shoplifting, consumerism, sexual politics and the commercial exploitation of women, it remains an inspirational album from an era in which women were beginning to take the reins in the creative arts.

TRACK LISTING

1. Instant Hit
2. So Tough
3. Spend, Spend, Spend
4. Shoplifting
5. FM
6. Newtown
7. Ping Pong Affair
8. Love Und Romance
9. Typical Girls
10. Adventures Close To Home

'A Hard Day's Night' is the third studio album by the English rock band the Beatles, released on 10 July 1964 by Parlophone, with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their film of the same name.

In contrast to the Beatles' first two albums, all 13 tracks on A Hard Day's Night were written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney, showcasing the development of their songwriting partnership.

Released for National Album Day 2024 on white vinyl.

We all know the Boxer. The fighter who remembers every glove but still remains. That grisly, bruised American allegory who somehow gets up more times than he’s knocked down.

This is the fight that nearly broke The National. The one that allowed them to become champions. Released in 2007, The National’s fourth full-length album is the one that saved them.

For fans, Boxer is a profound personal meditation on the unmagnificent lives of adults, an elegant culmination of their sophisticated songwriting, and the first National album many fell in love with. For the band, Boxer symbolizes an obsession, a years-long struggle, a love story, a final give-it-everything-you’ve-got effort to keep their fantasy of being a real rock band alive. Based on extensive original interviews with the fighters who were in the ring and the spectators who witnessed it unfold, Ryan Pinkard obsessively reconstructs a transformative chapter in The National’s story, revealing how the Ohio-via-Brooklyn five-piece found the sound, success, and spiritual growth to evolve into one of the most critically acclaimed bands of their time.

The surprise companion to The National's April release First Two Pages of Frankenstein, Laugh Track is the band's most freewheeling, all-hands-on-deck album in years. If Frankenstein represented a rebuilding of trust between group members after 20+ years together, the vibrant, exploratory Laugh Track is both the product of that faith and a new statement of intent. Reveling in the license to radically upend its creative process, The National honed most of this material in live performances on tour, and captured those invigorated versions in impromptu sessions at producer Tucker Martine’s Portland studio. Two nights later in Vancouver, the nearly eight-minute album closer “Smoke Detector” was recorded during soundcheck, completing a body of work bristling with spontaneity and vintage rock energy that makes a perfect complement to the songs found on its more introspective predecessor.

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: Released as a companion album to ‘First Two Pages Of Frankenstein’, ‘Laugh Track’ was written during the same sessions but feels more dynamic, largely due to Bryan reverting to ‘real’ rather than programmed drums. After all, it’s his fluid, scatter-shot drumming that has always been the perfect foil for Matt’s melancholy. This LP sounds much more like The National we love and closing track “Smoke Detector” possibly hints at the future direction of their evolution.

TRACK LISTING

Alphabet City
Deep End (Paul’s In Pieces)
Weird Goodbyes Feat. Bon Iver
Turn Off The House
Dreaming
Laugh Track Feat. Phoebe Bridgers
Space Invader
Hornets
Coat On A Hook
Tour Manager
Crumble Feat. Rosanne Cash
Smoke Detector

Siouxsie & The Banshees final album ‘The Rapture’ includes the title track as well as ‘Fall from Grace’ and ‘Not Forgotten’ which were produced by the band in 1993. The release comes as a limited edition 140-gram turquoise transparent vinyl. 

TRACK LISTING

Side A
O Baby
Tearing Apart
Stargazer
Fall From Grace
Side B
Not Forgotten
Sick Child
The Lonely One
Falling Down
Side C
The Rapture
Side D
Forever
The Double Life
Love Out Me
Stereophoni

Released in 1992, Automatic For the People is the eighth studio album from R.E.M. The reflective album, featuring the singles ‘Drive’, ‘Everybody Hurts’ and ’Man On The Moon’, reflects a soothing melancholy through the acoustic arrangement. Selling over 18 million copies worldwide, this release comes as a limited edition 140-gram Solid Yellow vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Side A
Drive
Try Not To Breathe
The Sidewinder Sleeps Tonite
Everybody Hurts
New Orleans Instrumental No. 1
Sweetness Follows
Side B
Monty Got A Raw Deal
Ignoreland
Star Me Kitten
Man On The Moon
Nightswimming
Find The River

Anchored by evocative melodies and an enthralling lyrical narrative, First Two Pages of Frankenstein signals a thrilling new chapter in the band’s beloved discography. The 11-song album was produced by The National at Long Pond Studios in upstate New York and features guest appearances by Taylor Swift, Phoebe Bridgers and Sufjan Stevens.

The follow-up to 2019’s top five hit album I Am Easy To Find, First Two Pages of Frankenstein was initially stalled while lead singer Matt Berninger navigated “a very dark spot where I couldn’t come up with lyrics or melodies at all, and that period lasted for over a year. Even though we’d always been anxious and argued quite a lot whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end.” Instead, The National “managed to come back together and approach everything from a different angle, and because of that we arrived at what feels like a new era for the band,” according to guitarist/pianist Bryce Dessner, whose bandmates also include his brother Aaron (guitar/piano/bass) as well as brothers Scott Devendorf (bass, guitar) and Bryan Devendorf (drums).

First Two Pages of Frankenstein channels the group’s revitalized chemistry into a body of work that beautifully balances elegant musicality with the National’s more idiosyncratic impulses. Tracks such as “Grease in Your Hair” and “Ice Machines” were road-tested in 2022 before they were recorded, allowing the band to hone the material in real time (another song, “Weird Goodbyes” featuring Bon Iver’s Justin Vernon, was released as a standalone track last August). “To me the power of this record has to do with the intentionality and structure of the music meeting with a lot of accidental magic,” says Aaron Dessner.

Swift duets with Berninger on the luminous “The Alcott,” continuing her recent string of collaborations with members of The National on her chart-topping albums folklore and evermore and Aaron Dessner’s Big Red Machine project. The song finds Berninger and Swift inhabiting the roles of a couple attempting to resurrect a troubled relationship, forging a finely drawn story nearly novelistic in scope. “It’s about two people with a long history returning to a place and trying to relive a certain moment in time,” says Berninger. “It’s got the feeling of a last-ditch effort to hold onto the relationship, but there’s a hint of something positive where you can see the beginnings of a reconnection.”

STAFF COMMENTS

Liam says: Succeeding on from the beautiful yet gut-punching 'I Am Easy To Find', 'First Two Pages Of Frankenstein' is another exquisite slice of moving and expansive indie from Berninger and co. Boasting huge guest spots from Taylor Swift, Sufjan Stevens and Phoebe Bridgers, this record further cements The National as the generational talent we've always known them to be!

TRACK LISTING

Once Upon A Poolside (feat. Sufjan Stevens)
Eucalyptus
New Order T-Shirt
This Isn't Helping (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
Tropic Morning News
Alien
The Alcott (feat. Taylor Swift)
Grease In Your Hair
Ice Machines
Your Mind Is Not Your Friend (feat. Phoebe Bridgers)
Send For Me 

The Clash is the eponymous debut studio album one of Britain’s most iconic bands, The Clash. Originally released on 8 April 1977, this album is regularly cited as one of the greatest Rock and Roll albums of all time, including tracks like White Riot, Janie Jones & Police & Thieves.

Issued for National Album Day 2022 on 180g PINK vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A 
1 Janie Jones 
2 Remote Control 
3 I'm So Bored With The U.S.A. 
4 White Riot 
5 Hate & War 
6 What's My Name 
7 Deny
8 London's Burning
SIDE B
1 Career Opportunities
2 Cheat
3 Protex Blue
4 Police & Thieves
5 48 Hours
6 Garageland

The National’s self-titled debut album marks the start point for one of the best bands of a generation.

Released in 2001, ‘The National’ landed two years after they formed and came during a time when they were having to juggle band life with full-time jobs.

And while nods to the alt. rock artists that inspired them (Pavement, Silver Jews) can be heard, so too are the beginnings of something all their own - Matt Berninger’s stunning and unexpected lyrics being pinned to melodies that stop you in your tracks.

For National Album Day 2022, the band reissue the album on white vinyl.

TRACK LISTING

Beautiful Head
Cold Girl Fever
The Perfect Song
American Mary
Son
Pay For Me
Bitters & Absolut
John’s Star
Watching You Well
Theory Of The Crows
29 Years
Anna Freud

Originally released in 1983, ‘Soul Mining’ is the debut major label album by post punk outfit, The The, fronted by Matt Johnson. Including the singles “Uncertain Smile”, “Perfect”, and the iconic “This Is The Day”, the album, which is Gold certified in the UK, has been long out of print on vinyl, except as part of a limited run 30th anniversary 2 LP boxset reissue in 2014. Featuring a host of talented musicians, including JG Thirwell (aka Foetus, Manorexia and Steroid Maximus), Zeke Manyika (Orange Juice), electronic DIY pioneer Thomas Leer and Jools Holland, Matt Johnson set out with a clear vision in mind - to produce an album that felt cinematic; a record of width, depth and texture and one which avoided the mundane line-up of two guitars, bass and drums. Lauded with critical acclaim (“Soul Mining is a brilliant and very idiosyncratic album” – The Guardian ; "Like shaving lotion applied to cleanse a wound, Johnson’s songs are attractively scented and sting like hell” – Melody Maker) the music and lyrics of ‘Soul Mining’ are as fresh and relevant today as they were almost 40 years ago.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A 
1 I've Been Waitin' For Tomorrow (All Of My Life)
2 This Is The Day
3 The Sinking Feeling 
4 Uncertain Smile
SIDE B
1 The Twilight Hour
2 Soul Mining
3 Giant

Wu-Tang Clan's debut, Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), was one of the most influential rap albums of the '90s. Its sparse yet atmospheric production -- courtesy of RZA -- mapped out the sonic blueprint that countless other hardcore rappers would follow for years to come. It laid the groundwork for the rebirth of New York hip-hop in the hardcore age, paving the way for everybody from Biggie and Jay-Z to Nas and Mobb Deep. Moreover, it introduced a colorful cast of hugely talented MCs, some of whom ranked among the best and most unique individual rappers of the decade. Some were outsized, theatrical personalities, others were cerebral storytellers and lyrical technicians, but each had his own distinctive style, which made for an album of tremendous variety and consistency. Every track on Enter the Wu-Tang is packed with fresh, inventive rhymes, which are filled with martial arts metaphors, pop culture references (everything from Voltron to Lucky Charms cereal commercials to Barbra Streisand's "The Way We Were"), bizarre threats of violence, and a truly twisted sense of humor. Their off-kilter menace is really brought to life, however, by the eerie, lo-fi production, which helped bring the raw sound of the underground into mainstream hip-hop. Starting with a foundation of hard, gritty beats and dialogue samples from kung fu movies, RZA kept things minimalistic, but added just enough minor-key piano, strings, or muted horns to create a background ambience that works like the soundtrack to a surreal nightmare. There was nothing like it in the hip-hop world at the time, and even after years of imitation, Enter the Wu-Tang still sounds fresh and original. Subsequent group and solo projects would refine and deepen this template, but collectively, the Wu have never been quite this tight again.

TRACK LISTING

SIDE A 
1 Bring Da Ruckus 
2 Shame On A Nigga 
3 Clan In Da Front 
4 Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber 
5 Can It Be All So Simple / Intermission 
6 Protect Ya Neck / Intermission 
SIDE B
1 Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'
2 Wu-Tang Clan Ain't Nuthing Ta F' Wit
3 C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)
4 Method Man
5 Tearz
6 Wu-Tang: 7th Chamber - Part II

Revered indie trio The Staves' debut album 'Dead & Born & Grown' is celebrating its 10th Anniversary on the 12th November 2022. To celebrate 10 years of their debut album the band will be re-pressing Dead & Born & Grown on recycled colour vinyl.

The album was produced with Glyn and Ethan Johns, who have worked with a plethora of huge artists from past and present between them, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin, as well as the likes of The Vaccines, Kings of Leon and Kaiser Chiefs. The Staves are three sisters from Watford who share vocal duties in addition to some contributions on guitar and ukelele.

This special-edition recycled vinyl is made from 100% PVC recycled material, using waste material and clippings from previous pressings and are re-used. The result is that each vinyl is unique with its own colour combination therefore the colour you receive will be randomized.

TRACK LISTING

Wisely & Slow
Gone Tomorrow
The Motherlode
Pay Us No Mind
Facing West
In The Long Run
Dead & Born & Grown
Winter Trees
Tongue Behind My Teeth
Mexico
Snow
Eagle Song

The National’s second album, Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (2003) proved a leap forward from 2001’s eponymous debut, showing a band adept at delivering warm embraces and gut punches in equal measure.

With word of mouth now spreading on the band, critics proved equally enthusiastic... Pitchfork in their glowing review called it a “Gorgeous train wreck” that “Lives up to its blunt title (with) Matt Berninger’s self-effacing barbs matched by the band’s equally potent hooks,” while Uncut also became early champions saying the album was “A genuine treasure... Livid as a bruise, this is brave, desperate, beautiful music.”

No longer a secret among those that know, Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers is an important record in The National’s discography with this new remaster showing that it’s more than standing the test of time.

Having been remastered at Abbey Road Studios, the 2021 represses stay faithful to their original artwork while their stunning new masters help make these much-loved records sound as vital as ever, further emphasising the early signs of the sound that would go on to make them one of the fi nest and most beloved alternative bands of their generation.

TRACK LISTING

1. / A1. Cardinal Song
2. / A2. Slipping Husband
3. / A3. 90-Mile Water Wall
4. / A4. It Never Happened
5. / A5. Murder Me Rachael
6. / B1. Thirsty
7. / B2. Available
8. / B3. Sugar Wife
9. / B4. Trophy Wife
10. / B5. Fashion Coat
11. / B6. Patterns Of Fairytales
12. / B7. Lucky You

Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2021, The National’s self-titled debut album of sozzled Americana is a thing of beauty, laden with heavy hints that this was a special band in the making.

Their first release, The National arrived two years after The National formed, a time when they were juggling bandlife with needing to hold down full-time jobs. And while nods to the alt. rock artists that inspired them (Pavement, Silver Jews) can be heard, so too are the beginnings of something all their own – Matt Berninger’s stunning and unexpected lyrics being pinned to melodies that stop you in your tracks.

The National marks the start point for one of the best bands of their generation with its new master helping elevate it to new levels. A great primer to a great band.

Having been remastered at Abbey Road Studios, the 2021 represses stay faithful to their original artwork while their stunning new masters help make these much-loved records sound as vital as ever, further emphasising the early signs of the sound that would go on to make them one of the fi nest and most beloved alternative bands of their generation.

TRACK LISTING

1. / A1. Beautiful Head
2. / A2. Cold Girl Fever
3. / A3. The Perfect Song
4. / A4. American Mary
5. / A5. Son
6. / A6. Pay For Me
7. / B1. Bitters & Absolut
8. / B2. John’s Star
9. / B3. Watching You Well
10. / B4. Theory Of The Crows
11. / B5. 29 Years
12. / B6. Anna Freud

Released a year before The National broke through with their third album Alligator, 2004’s Cherry Tree EP is a thrilling record which - thanks to its collection of delicate ballads and anthemic crowd-pleasers - sums up what they do best in under 30 minutes. Now a firm fan-favourite, among Cherry Tree’s seven tracks are now National classics ‘About Today’ and ‘All The Wine’, plus a thrilling live version of ‘Murder Me Rachael’ that reminds of the band’s fearsome early live performances. Cherry Tree can be seen as the record that marks the moment when The National had truly found themselves, a bridge from what went before to a band ready to conquer the World.

Having been remastered at Abbey Road Studios, the 2021 represses stay faithful to their original artwork while their stunning new masters help make these much-loved records sound as vital as ever, further emphasising the early signs of the sound that would go on to make them one of the fi nest and most beloved alternative bands of their generation.

TRACK LISTING

1. / A1. Wasp Nest
2. / A2. All The Wine
3. / A3. All Dolled-Up In Straps
4. / A4. Cherry Tree
5. / B1. About Today
6. / B2. Murder Me Rachael (Live)
7. / B3. Reasonable Man (I Don’t Mind)

A 'National Album Day' release - Pressed on standard Black LP Vinyl. 

'Bizarro' was the second Wedding Present album, originally released in 1989. The band's first album on a major label, 'Bizarro' saw The Wedding Present toughening up rather than selling out. Toying with extremes of tempo and mood, the result was a vibrant hybrid of astringency and the band's quintessential pop euphoria.

Ultra limited release for National Album Day.

Pressed on Clear LP Vinyl.

Surely this album needs no introduction or explanation?! But just in case you don’t know, this is arguably one of the best debut albums of all time, from one of the most influential bands of their generation! And if that’s not enough to tempt you, then I don’t know what is. 

Fifth Album by the Bill Wells project feat. words by Aidan Moffat A masterclass in nuance, interpretation and the purifying power of the human voice, Standards Vol. V represents another captivating chapter in the career of a singular figure in contemporary music. For his fifth album as the mischievously named National Jazz Trio Of Scotland, the prolific jazz outsider Bill Wells posits yet another collaborator in the diffuse light cast by his tender chord shifts and understated arrangements. The voice on Standards Vol. V is that of Black, whose other musical activities include the band Babe, Francois And The Atlas Mountains, Rozi Plain and Charlotte Gainsbourg.

TRACK LISTING

I Know Where I'm Going (1:59)
Sigh No More Ladies (2:35)
Vox II (3:33)
Sunrise, Sunset (4:42)
Set Firee To Silver Light (0:51)
So Much Power (3:18)
Gradual Inclination (3:30)
The King Tailors (2:15)
Of Thee I Sing (4:46)
Gradual Inclination (reprise) (1:10)
A Quiet Goodbye (2:28)

I Am Easy To Find is the band’s eighth studio album and the follow-up to 2017’s GRAMMY®-award winning release Sleep Well Beast. A companion short film with the same name will also be released with music by The National and inspired by the album. The film was directed by Academy Award-nominated director Mike Mills (20th Century Women, Beginners), and starring Academy Award Winner Alicia Vikander. Mills, along with the band, is credited as co-producer of the album, which was mostly recorded at Long Pond, Hudson Valley, NY with additional sessions in Paris, Berlin, Cincinnati, Austin, Dublin, Brooklyn and more far flung locations. The album features vocal contributions from Sharon Van Etten, Brooklyn Youth Chorus, Lisa Hannigan, Mina Tindle and more.

I Am Easy to Find is a 24-minute film by Mills starring Alicia Vikander, and a 68-minute album by the National. The former is not the video for the latter; the latter is not the soundtrack to the former. The two projects are, as Mills calls them, “Playfully hostile siblings that love to steal from each other”—they share music and words and DNA and impulses and a vision about what it means to be human in 2019, but don’t necessarily need one another. The movie was composed like a piece of music; the music was assembled like a film, by a film director. The frontman and natural focal point was deliberately and dramatically sidestaged in favour of a variety of female voices, nearly all of whom have long been in the group’s orbit. It is unlike anything either artist has ever attempted and also totally in line with how they’ve created for much of their careers.

As the album’s opening track, ‘You Had Your Soul With You,’ unfurls, it’s so far, so National: a digitally manipulated guitar line, skittering drums, Berninger’s familiar baritone, mounting tension. Then around the 2:15 mark, the true nature of I Am Easy To Find announces itself: The racket subsides, strings swell, and the voice of long-time David Bowie bandmate Gail Ann Dorsey booms out—not as background vocals, not as a hook, but to take over the song. Elsewhere it’s Irish singer-songwriter Lisa Hannigan, or Sharon Van Etten, or Mina Tindle or Kate Stables of This Is the Kit, or varying combinations of them. The Brooklyn Youth Choir, whom Bryce Dessner had worked with before. There are choral arrangements and strings on nearly every track, largely put together by Bryce in Paris—not a negation of the band’s dramatic tendencies, but a redistribution of them.

“Yes, there are a lot of women singing on this, but it wasn't because, ‘Oh, let's have more women's voices,’ says Berninger. “It was more, ‘Let's have more of a fabric of people's identities.’ It would have been better to have had other male singers, but my ego wouldn't let that happen.”

TRACK LISTING

1. You Had Your Soul With You
2. Quiet Light
3. Roman Holiday
4. Oblivions
5. The Pull Of You
6. Hey Rosey
7. I Am Easy To Find
8. Her Father In The Pool
9. Where Is Her Head
10. Not In Kansas
11. So Far So Fast
12. Dust Swirls In Strange Light
13. Hairpin Turns
14. Rylan
15. Underwater
16. Light Years

Side 5 On Deluxe Triple – Contains 22 Minutes Of Music From The I Am Easy To Find Original Film Score – EXCLUSIVE To This Format.
Side 6 On 3LP - Etching.

Domino is extremely proud to present Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) performed by Beth Gibbons and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki. 

The performance took place at The National Opera Grand Theatre in Warsaw on November 29th 2014, and was part of an evening of programming that also featured Jonny Greenwood's (Radiohead) 48 Responses To Polymorphia and the world premiere of Bryce Dessner's (The National) Réponse Lutosławski.

Following an invitation to collaborate at the concert, Beth Gibbons undertook an intense preparation process, including tackling the challenge of learning the original text (and the emotional weight it carries) without speaking the mother language. Typical to Beth though - the elusive yet iconic frontwoman of one of the most important British bands of the last two decades - the challenge was met and exceeded. Her performance alongside the maestro Penderecki has been hailed as triumphant, as you can see and hear on this release.

The film, was produced by the National Audiovisual Institute, Poland and directed by Michał Merczyński.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: There's no denying that Beth Gibbons is one of the most cherished and highly recognisable vocal talents of the past several decades, but hearing her in this context is nothing less than astounding. The latent sadness inherent in Gorecki's 3rd symphony is only enhanced by Gibbons' stunning vocal range and perfect delivery. Astounding.

TRACK LISTING

I. Lento - Sostenuto Tranquillo Ma Cantabile
II. Lento E Largo - Tranquillissimo
III. Lento - Cantabile-semplice

Previously unreleased live version of the bands Boxer album performed in full - recorded at Forest National, Brussels, Belgium, 09 November 2017

TRACK LISTING

Fake Empire (Live In Brussels)
Mistaken For Strangers (Live In Brussels)
Brainy (Live In Brussels)
Squalor Victoria (Live In Brussels)
Green Gloves (Live In Brussels)
Slow Show (Live In Brussels)
Apartment Story (Live In Brussels)
Start A War (Live In Brussels)
Guest Room (Live In Brussels)
Racing Like A Pro (Live In Brussels)
Ada (Live In Brussels)
Gospel (Live In Brussels)

The National return with their much anticipated seventh album, produced by Aaron Dessner, with additional production by Matt Berninger and Bryce Dessner. The album was mixed by Peter Katis and recorded at Aaron’s Long Pond studio in Hudson Valley, NY.

While in some ways it’s typically National-sounding, they’ve definitely added some new elements to their sound. Opening track “Nobody Else Will Be There” is a stripped back ballad with melancholic piano, and Matt’s distinct vocals, but the electronics pulsing away in the background are a sign of what’s to come with the album.

All the usual elements are there, intricate guitars, delicate piano keys, scatter-shot drums and of course Matt’s mumbling/crooning baritone, but a new layer of electronics bubbling away in the mix adds a new dimension to their sound.

As with the last couple of albums, it features mostly fairly downtempo ballads but they do ramp things up from time to time: “Day I Die”, “They System Only Dreams In Total” and the big rock-out track of the album, “Turtleneck”. It’s taken a few listens to get into it, but as a fan I’m certainly not disappointed.

TRACK LISTING

A1. Nobody Else Will Be There
A2. Day I Die
A3. Walk It Back
B1. The System Only Dreams
In Total Darkness
B2. Born To Beg
B3. Turtleneck
C1. Empire Line
C2. I’ll Still Destroy You
C3. Guilty Party
D1. Carin At The Liquor Store
D2. Dark Side Of The Gym
D3. Sleep Well Beast

* First ever anthology
* Remastered from original sources
* 2xLP housed in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket with 20-pg book, and download card full full anthology
* Vinyl cut by John Golden and pressed at RTI
* CD housed in a deluxe gatefold tip-on jacket with 48-pg book
* Scholarly liner notes by Punk In Africa director Keith Jones
* Unseen photos, flyers, and band ephemera

The South Africa of the late 1970s was neither the right place nor time to launch a mixed-race punk band. Yet, following the student-inspired Soweto Uprising of 1976, it was also exactly the right conditions to foster a band like National Wake, one formed in an underground commune, and one whose very name exists in protest at the divisive, racist apartheid regime. Never before collected together, Light In The Attic is set to release National Wake’s full body of work as Walk In Africa 1979-81.

Featured heavily in the Punk In Africa documentary, National Wake played punk, reggae and tropical funk, equally at home in the city’s rock underground and the township nightclub circuit. Ivan Kadey started the band with two brothers, Gary and Punka Khoza. The three were from different worlds –while Ivan was an outsider, a Jewish orphan born in the traditional Johannesburg immigrant neighborhood, Gary, Punka and their family were forcibly moved to the troubled township of Soweto under the apartheid regime. Later joined by guitarist Steve Moni, the whole band grew up against a backdrop of township unrest, social upheaval and suburban tedium that characterized apartheid-era South Africa.

National Wake released just one album, in 1981. It sold approximately 700 copies before being withdrawn under government pressure. The band subsequently disintegrated, but their influence could be traced in the racially mixed post-punk underground centered around Rockey Street in Johannesburg throughout the 1980s, their legacy transmitted through fanzines and underground cassette trading.

Sadly, Gary and Punka Khoza both passed away in their 40s. Kadey now works as an architect in Los Angeles, but his attention eventually turned back to the band as their legacy grew in the digital era, with the emergence of specialized music websites and Punk In Africa leading to their rediscovery. Czech State Radio memorably described the band as “perhaps the most dissident music scene of the 20th century: a multi-racial punk band in a fascist police state.”

In 2011, Kadey re-released the band’s self-titled album, but spoke about having more than 20 tracks that had never seen the light of day –until now. “All of these recordings put together they speak of the whole evolution of the band,” he has said. “From a sort of naive, almost belief that we could miraculously change everything to realizing what a struggle it was, and what the country was going through and what it would go through.”

TRACK LISTING

1. International News
2. It's All Right
3. Walk In Africa
4. Time And Place
5. Corner House Stone
6. Mercenaries
7. Wake Of The Nation
8. Supaman
9. Speed It Up
10. Beat Up The Lights
11. Black Punk Rockers
12. Stratocaster
13. Everybody
14. Vatsiketeni

This is the sixth studio album for the Brooklyn band, and follows 2010’s High Violet, which was No 2 in our Albums of The Year, that year.

In an interview with UK’s Uncut Magazine, front man Matt Berninger described the songs as more “immediate and visceral” than their previous work. Trouble Will Find Me possesses a directness, a coherency and an approachability that suggests The National are at their most confident.

After a 22-month tour following the release of High Violet the band returned home. Regardless of plans to wait to record new music for another year or two, guitarist Aaron Dessner began working on sketches of new songs that the other members were too inspired by to not fully realise. Matt confesses, “For the past ten years we’d been chasing something, wanting to prove something. And this chase was about trying to disprove our own insecurities. After touring High Violet, I think we felt like we’d finally gotten there. Now we could relax—not in terms of our own expectations but we didn’t have to prove our identity any longer.” The results are simultaneously breakthrough and oddly familiar, the culmination of an artistic journey that has led The National both to a new crest and, somehow, back to their beginnings—when, says Aaron, “our ideas would immediately click with each other. It’s free-wheeling again. The songs on one level are our most complex, and on another they’re our most simple and human. It just feels like we’ve embraced the chemistry we have.” The album was recorded at Clubhouse in Rhinebeck, NY. Trouble Will Find Me was self-produced and mixed by Craig Silvey with additional mixing from Peter Katis and Marcus Paquin.

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: With every album The National have pushed on and made a more ambitious album, constantly upping the ante with bigger arrangements and a bigger sound. So how on earth were the going to follow High Violet?
Well, it seems they’ve finally come to terms with who and where they are as a band and made an album that reflects that. The Dressner brothers intricate arrangements are still there, as are the distinctive scatter-shot drum patterns (described perfectly by film director DA Pennebaker as “like rain falling through the leaves of a tree”) and of course Matt Berninger’s rich baritone rolls effortlessly over it all, but “Trouble Will Find Me” is a more relaxed, streamlined collection, and this stripping back gives the songs room to breathe and emphasises just how good they are at what they do. There may be less angst here than in the past, but the romanticism and melancholy are still there and for me, once again they've come up with one of the best albums of the year.

TRACK LISTING

1. I Should Live In Salt
2. Demons
3. Don't Swallow The Cap
4. Fireproof
5. Sea Of Love
6. Heavenfaced
7. This Is The Last Time
8. Graceless
9. Slipped
10. I Need My Girl
11. Humiliation
12. Pink Rabbits
13. Hard To Find

The album opens with the slow drums and mournful vocals of “Terrible Love” but from the start there’s a simmering intensity that builds and eventually explodes into crashing cymbals, pummelling drums, distorted guitars and layered vocals.
A dramatic entrance to The National’s fifth album. But it’s not all this heavy, as with their previous releases it’s an album of mood swings. Where “Terrible Love” was explosive, second track “Sorrow” is mournful and melodic.
And while the album changes mood and tempo, at times warm and intimate at others dramatic, propelled by off beat drum rhythms, there’s always a palpable intensity. I read recently that they find it hard to finish songs, with one or other band member frequently rejecting material. Whether the atmosphere created here is the cause or result of this I don’t know, but either way it works perfectly. Despite Matt’s melancholy, there’s something really uplifting about this collection of beautifully crafted mini epics.

STAFF COMMENTS

Martin says: A bona fide classic, and possibly the summit of The National's already majestic canon. Moody, introspective and deeply involving, "High Violet" manages to be both clever and inventive and at the same time focused in it's somewhat bleak expression. A work of troubled genius whose (very) high points, "Afraid of Everyone", "Bloodbuzz Ohio" and the sublime "Conversation 16" would grace pretty much any album, ever. It is really that good.

TRACK LISTING

1. Terrible Love
2. Sorrow
3. Anyone’s Ghost
4. Little Faith
5. Afraid Of Everyone
6. Bloodbuzz Ohio
7. Lemonworld
8. Runaway
9. Conversation 16
10. England
11. Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks

"Performing Parades" is a limited edition album featuring Efterklang performing their 2007 album Parades in full, accompanied by The Danish National Chamber Orchestra. Mojo magazine enjoyed the show so much, they gave it a glowing full page live review! The concert was recorded in their hometown of Copenhagen in September 2008, and will be performed again at the Barbican in London on October 28th, this time with The Britten Sinfonia. Mojo described the Copenhagen concert as 'uplifting, celebratory and gloriously ridiculous, like an alternate national anthem for a new northern utopia of untrammelled happiness'. The stunning live recordings will be issued as a limited edition deluxe CD+DVD package and a limited edition 2LP+DVD in a lush gatefold sleeve, with brilliant design to match the quality of "Parades" and "Under Giant Trees". These special editions are surefire future collectors' items. The live audio recording is packaged with a 55-minute concert film on DVD. The DVD includes plenty of extras, including a behind the scenes documentary of the preparations for the event, and all six videos made for tracks from "Parades", including lead single "Mirador", which has racked up over one million (1,000,000!) views on Youtube.

The National's 2005 album "Alligator" saw them fulfil the promise shown on their previous two albums, and set the bar impossibly high for their follow up.

However, with "Boxer" they've created something quite stunning, in fact the opening three tracks, "Fake Empire", "Mistaken For Strangers" and "Brainy" are possibly their best songs ever. A taut rhythm section is present throughout, and complements the languid vocals and lush string arrangements perfectly. Although the strings and Matt Berninger's distinctive drawl create a solemn mood, there are plenty of upbeat moments here too, creating a rich anthemic album with just the right amount of melancholy.

TRACK LISTING

1. Fake Empire
2. Mistaken For Strangers
3. Brainy
4. Squalor Victoria
5. Green Gloves
6. Slow Show
7. Apartment Story
8. Start A War
9. Guest Room
10. Racing Like A Pro
11. Ada
12. Gospel

These five Cincinnati friends recorded two albums and a mini album 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.

The National contains two pairs of brothers - Aaron Dessner (guitars, bass) and Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (guitar, bass), Bryan Devendorf (drums) and singer Matt Berninger. Matt's potent baritone intones about matters fraught and funny and sad; about record collections, missing persons and medium-sized American hearts. The songs are intense, and emotive but generally quite restrained, but on one or two tracks, this intensity spills out into a superbly abrasive blast of emotion, before ebbing back into mellowness. Wonderful!

STAFF COMMENTS

Laura says: An absolutely awesome album - one of my albums of the year in 2005 when it was originally released. Although it's perhaps a little less 'polished' than "High Violet" it still has that same compelling, claustrophic intensity too it.

TRACK LISTING

1. Secret Meeting
2. Karen
3. Lit Up
4. Looking For Astronauts
5. Daughters Of The Soho Riots
6. Baby, We'll Be Fine
7. Friend Of Mine
8. Val Jester
9. All The Wine
10. Abel
11. Geese Of Beverly Road
12. City Middle
13. Mr. November