“Walk away now, and you’re gonna start a war.”

The National’s 2006 album, Alligator, is an album that needs to be chewed on in order to be fully embraced. It’s thick and rich and heavy.

Boxer, their follow-up album released this year, was similar though failed to produce the same results. Filled with complex lyrics delivered simply by Berninger’s trademark baritone voice the songs are strong but few stood out.

One song which continues to move me is Start a War (listen to it here), a track where, as Pitchfork put it, “the possibility of loss looms threateningly.” This is classic stuff from The National and is my 9th favorite song of the year. Complexity that develops layered over music that grows. It’s possible to simultaneously have no clue about what’s spoken yet fully understand what’s sung. That’s the joy of The National.

Here’s a video of the band performing the song after dinner, outside under a tree using a few guitars, some cutlery, and wine glasses. Beautiful stuff.

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