The National (album)

The National
Studio album by The National
Released	October 30, 2001
Recorded	Gretchen's Kitchen, Brooklyn; Gretchen's Pantry, New Haven
Genre	Indie rock, alternative country
Length	43:51
Language	English
Label	Brassland Records
Producer	The National & Nick Lloyd
The National chronology
The National (2001) Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers (2003)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Pitchfork Media	6.6/10[2]

The National is the debut studio album by American indie rock band the National, released on October 30, 2001 on Brassland Records. Recorded prior to guitarist Bryce Dessner's full arrival into the band, The National was produced by both Nick Lloyd and the band itself. Now-bass guitarist Scott Devendorf performs both guitar and backing vocals on this album, with guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Aaron Dessner on bass guitar and guitar duties.

The album features a more country-tinged sound in comparison to future albums. Lyrics from "29 Years" would later be used in "Slow Show" from the band's 2007 album, Boxer.

Background and recording

The album features guest contributions from forthcoming member Bryce Dessner, with his brother Aaron noting, "When we recorded [the album], my brother wasn't even in the band. We made the record before we ever played a show. We did it just to do it."^[3]

Artwork

The album's front cover features drummer Bryan Devendorf in a swimming pool.

Track listing

All songs written and composed by the National. 

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Beautiful Head"	3:08
2.	"Cold Girl Fever"	4:06
3.	"The Perfect Song"	3:15
4.	"American Mary"	4:03
5.	"Son"	5:20
6.	"Pay for Me"	3:23
7.	"Bitters & Absolut"	4:00
8.	"John's Star"	3:05
9.	"Watching You Well"	3:02
10.	"Theory of the Crows"	4:37
11.	"29 Years"	2:50
12.	"Anna Freud"	3:09

Personnel

The National

• Matt Berninger - lead vocals
• Scott Devendorf - guitar, backing vocals
• Aaron Dessner - bass, guitar
• Bryan Devendorf - drums

Additional musicians

• Mike Brewer
• Bryce Dessner
• Nathalie Jonas
• Nick Lloyd
• Jeff Salem

Recording personnel

• Nick Lloyd - producer, recording, mixing
• Mike Brewer - pre-production
• Jeff Salem - pre-production
• Ue Nastasi - mastering

Artwork

• Mauricio Carey - photography
• Pope Rathman - photography

References

1. MacNeil, Jason. "The National – The National". AllMusic. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
2. Nickey, Jason (October 14, 2001). "The National: The National". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved January 14, 2016.
3. http://altmusic.about.com/od/artists/a/The-National-Artist-Profile.htm