The National Stories

The National Announce New Album And Tour, Release New Song

The National will return with a new album in 2017, and a tour including two dates in Chicago.Though the band recently oversaw the creation of the massive Day Of The Dead compilation, Sleep Well Beast will be the bands first studio album since 2013s Trouble Will Find Me.To be released on September 8, Sleep Well...

Hear Two New Songs From Supergroup Featuring Sufjan Stevens, The National’s Bryce Dessner, And More

Planetarium, a new record attributed to Sufjan Stevens, Bryce Dessner (The National), classical composer Nico Muhly and James McAlister (Sufjan Stevens, The Album Leaf), will be released June 9.The album will consist of 17 songs inspired by the solar system and other celestial formations and planets, based on an original composition they performed at the Brooklyn...

WATCH: Indie Rock Lineup Perform Day Of The Dead Live @ Eaux Claires Festival

Photo via dayofthedead InstagramOne difference between a jamband festival and an indie rock music festival:  there are eleventy billion recordings available (video, audio, audience pro-shot) online for something like Lockn, but you'll be lucky to find a couple of portrait-shot Vines and archived Periscopes from Eaux Claires, its indie counterpart.One thing they have...

Watch Spotify's Documentary On The National's Day Of The Dead Compilation

Spotify has released a documentary on Day Of The Dead, the massive, all-star Grateful Dead compilation spearheaded by the National and released in May.Recording more than six hours of material over six years, the project benefitted the Red Hot Organization, and was certainly one of the most ambitious compilations in recent times.Following the...

Album Reviews | May 2016 Releases

By: Alex WoodJames Blake- The Colour In Anything [5/6]Clocking in at a massive 76 minutes, electronic mastermind James Blakes third proper album, The Colour In Anything, is an extremely elaborate work of art, presenting every trick in the songwriters eclectic repertoire side by side. The music is heavy whether its dense keyboard and synthesizer harmonies, moody...

The National Details Plans For Grateful Dead Tribute Compilation

In a recent interview with Stereogum, members of The National released information on the next compilation in the Red Hot charity series, a collection of Grateful Dead covers curated by the band.After the success of Dark Was The Night, produced by The Nationals Dessner brothers and featuring a slew of big indie artists contributing...

Setlists / Video: The National @ Chicago Theater 4/15, 4/16, 4/17, 4/18/14

Definitely check out Alex's review of night one for more insight on this set of shows at Chicago Theater. But I'll also update this post with all set lists and some choice video throughout the run.Tuesday, April 15th, 2014Wednesday, April 16th, 2014I Should Live In SaltDon't Swallow the CapSea Of LoveA drunk joined the...

Review: The National @ Chicago Theater 4/15/14

Words: Alex WoodIts easy to recall the days when The National werent so overwhelmingly popular. Even 2010s High Violet tour, a mere four years back, wouldnt have sold out four nights at The Chicago Theatre.So what changed, exactly?One could argue that The Nationals music has been a constant progression leading to last years...

The Best Albums of 2013: Alex's Top 125

We welcomed writer / photographer Alex Wood to the fold in 2013 and couldn't be happier with his contributions. Before his association with the site, it had been his yearly tradition to circulate a top albums list amongst his friends. We're excited to publish the 2013 edition here to kick off our 2013 year-in-review coverage.1. DAFT PUNK - RANDOM...

Trey Anastastio Hits Road In Fall, Chicago Theater On 10/19/12 [Fall 2012 Lineup Revealed]

Update 9/20 with band lineupIt certainly seemed like TAB was going to make a habit of hitting Chicago's Riveria Theater in February. After two wildly successful and stylistically diverse shows in 2010 and 2011, we were let down when a winter tour wasn't routed through here in 2012 -- and even more disappointed when Phish avoided Chicago during this...