| | National Boxer CD National Discography of CDs
 (3 Customer Reviews)
And while his presence isn't immediately apparent, indie hero Sufjan Stevens contributes piano to two tracks ("Racing Like a Pro" and "Ada"), adding to the National's increasingly expansive aesthetic, which also incorporates strings and horns. Though BOXER is more subdued than ALLIGATOR, it will likely appeal to those won over by the earlier outing.
On 2007's BOXER, the National's second full-length album for the venerable Beggars Banquet label, the Brooklyn-based indie-rock act follows up the lauded ALLIGATOR with another round of melancholy guitar-driven tunes. Led by deep-voiced vocalist Matt Berninger, who often sounds hung-over yet disarmingly articulate, the band excels at brooding mid-tempo songs, as exemplified by the world-weary "Fake Empire," which combines political and personal themes, and "Mistaken for Strangers," a track that recalls NYC peers Interpol, thanks in part to the punchy approach of shared producer Peter Katis.
The National: Matt Berninger (vocals); Bryce Dessner (guitar); Aaron Dessner, Scott Devendorf (bass guitar); Bryan Devendorf (drums).
Rolling Stone (p.93) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "The songs are subtler, statelier, with Matt Berninger's baritone exuding lonesome warmth."
Spin (p.94) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[A]dding brass, piano, and backup singers to unveil high drama of the blunt, uncliched sort unheard since the Afghan Whigs' 90s heyday."
Alternative Press (p.170) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he band mirror the moody nature of the lyrics via genius arrangements, subtle layering and an overwhelming feeling of melancholy that's ultimately strangely reassuring."
CMJ (p.41) - "[BOXER] continues to explore the singer's clever, self-deprecating ruminations, but his band sticks to more controlled,bittersweet tones this time....Its musical nuance makes it feel deeper."
Q (Magazine) (p.78) - Ranked #30 in Q's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2007" -- "[With] Matt Berninger's intimate baritone detailing love's losses over dark, dramatic melodies." Purchase Boxer CD To buy, Click on price to add to cart | Arcade Fire Funeral CD (2004)
Boxer
 $11.89    
Favorably compared to the Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, and Broken Social Scene, the Arcade Fire's sound seems to come from a lifetime of listening to the Cure, Talking Heads, Elvis Costello, and many others--even a dose of soul gets worked into these grand anthems. Chassagne delivers some spellbinding vocals on "Haiti," while the tinkling piano and strings on "Crown of Love" conjure up a heartbroken surfside prom. ...
| | National Alligator CD (2005)
Boxer
$12.19
Two pairs of brothers--Aaron and Bryce Dessner (guitars) and Scott and Bryan Devendorf (bass and drums, respectively)--keep things alternately chiming, churning, and appropriately atmospheric. The startling relationship sketch "Karen," for example, rides a light rock pulse dominated by piano and augmented by strings, making it one of the album's shining moments. "All the Wine" turns Berninger's usually dark self-exploration on its head with its semi-ironic self-aggrandizement. ALLIGATOR's 13 tracks testify to the National's standing as one of the more distinctive and absorbing bands around.
Special limited edition issue of the Brooklyn based Ohioan's ...
| | Sufjan Stevens Illinois CD (2005)
Boxer
$12.19
Remarkably, in its intricate, gorgeously crafted surfaces, ILLINOIS lives up to its aims. In addition to its symphonic grandeur, the album also showcases Stevens's heartland folk, and some of the album's most shimmering moments are its most spare. "John Wayne Gacy, Jr.," for instance, is an absorbing narrative that features Stevens's sweet tenor couched by guitar, piano, and backing vocals. "Casimir Pulaski Day," similarly, rides a rootsy banjo and guitar groove while Stevens unfurls image-rich lyrics over a lilting melody. Witty, audacious, and moving, ILLINOIS manages to be spiritual, entertaining, and educational all at once, resulting in an utterly unique conceptual and musical statement.
The first new album since Seven Swans ...
| | Band Of Horses Everything All The Time CD (2006)
Boxer
$11.59
| | Yo La Tengo I Am Not Afraid Of You And I Will Beat Your Ass CD (2006)
Boxer
$9.95 
With 2006's cheekily titled I AM NOT AFRAID OF YOU AND I WILL BEAT YOUR ASS, the beloved indie-rock trio Yo La Tengo presents a dynamic set of songs that echo ...
| | Fleet Foxes CD (2008)
Boxer
$11.69
| | Marisa Monte Great Noise CD (1997)
Boxer
$11.99
Award Winner
| | Mike West New South CD (2003)
Boxer
$9.25
| | Hamilton Loomis Kickin' It CD (2003)
Boxer
$13.69
"Innovate, don't imitate." Hamilton Loomis took his mentor, Bo Diddley's advice. It speaks volumes when the likes of Diddley, Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, and Albert Collins take you under their wings. The twenty-something Texas sensation isn't just another cat-in-a-hat with a Strat. He has crafted his blues roots into a funk-a-fied recipe all his own.A multi-instrumentalist, Hamilton practically grew up in the spotlight. He began on drums and piano at age five, guitar at age six, then conquered the harmonica. Gigging non-stop since age fourteen, he formed a family doo-wop group with his musician parents. By seventeen, he had played the world-famous Delta Blues Festival for an audience of 40,000.Before he was eighteen, he was writing, arranging, and performing his own material. He produced his first CD, titled simply Hamilton, which received a Grammy nomination for "Best Contemporary Album of the Year".Bo Diddley described Hamilton's second disc, Just Gimme One Night, this way. "You got to put some seasoning in what you're doin', and this boy's got the whole salt shaker!" Hamilton's third release, All Fired Up, his fourth, Live: Highlights, and his latest, "Kickin' It", on Blind Pig Records, are both on radio rotation on both coasts. It has set the stage for him to stake his claim as a top contemporary performer.Touring for the past five years, his band radiates a potent vibe and boasts razor-sharp arrangements and Hamilton's groove-driven guitar, weaving around his silky, soul-drenched vocals."I can't forget the legends who believed ...
| | Widespread Panic Jackassolantern CD (2004)
Boxer
$12.25
| | John Walker If You Go Away CD (2006) (Import) Bonus Tracks; Germany
Boxer
$20.89
| | Harvest Showdown CD (2005) (Import) United Kingdom
Boxer
$15.75
| | Big Jim Wheeler & Wheels of Fir Goin' Back CD (2003)
Boxer
$17.05
BIG JIM WHEELER & WHEELS OF FIRE Big Jim Wheeler has been called 'a throwback to the future' and is arguably the best-kept secret in American music. He hails from both the Adirondacks of upstate New York and the Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina. Through his many travels he has pleased audiences with his deep voice and dramatic singing style from Illinois to Istanbul and from Maine to Madagascar while serving his country in the U.S. Navy. His many friends, fans and admirers include top performers such as the late Roscoe Gordon, Vassar Clements, Peter Rowan, academy award winning director Jonathan Demme, who recently hired Jim to appear as a featured extra in his new remake of The Manchurian Candidate with Denzel Washington, blues man James Cotton, and many others, several of whom he has shared the stage with. He has since starred in Ric Pantale's independent short film, "The Monkey's Paw" and sings the theme song which was penned by band mates and long time friends, Billy and Muddy Roues. In 1994 he combined forces with the Roues Brothers to develop an original sound and style of music based on their mutual love of Western music, movies, T.V. and vintage Americana. To that end, they assembled a repertoire that included Robert Mitchum's BALLAD OF THUNDER ROAD, Johnny Western's PALADIN, Jimmy Dean's BIG BAD JOHN, and Roy Roger's GHOST RIDERS IN THE SKY. They didn't stop there. They started covering their favorite classic country from Hank Williams to Hank Snow, Johnny Horton to Johnny Cash and crossing the spectrum from Earnest Tubb to Tennessee Ernie Ford. With the addition of original songs penned by the Roues Brothers and Big Jim himself they captured the spirit of their heroes and predecessors and the picture was almost complete. All that was missing was the rest of the band. To compliment Big Jim's deep baritone, Billy's ...
| | Stuart Hyatt Shrimp Attack CD (2007) (Import)
Boxer
$17.95
|
|
|
2875 
buttons below to play song samples
Adobe Flash
Email a Friend
