happy xmas to me part I

sorry if i'm being boring here but i'm just totally evangelical about the national - in case you hadn't noticed.

i really recommend seeing them live next time they tour, and as a taster, i've just been sent a link to this , which has some fantastic videos of some of their live stuff - and every single one is worth watching. i am treating it as one of my xmas pressies.

in order of preference (with an attempted description):

about today: one of the most gorgeous songs i know. really sad and a really long intro into it, but it's *so* worth it. it builds to a crescendo at the end beautifully. *sighs*



murder me rachael - "i saw my love with pretty boy"... "loved her to ribbons" amazing. matt is like a man possessed, screaming the second line at the end, and the sheer wall of noise just blows you away when you're two feet away from them. padma, the lovely, permanently bewildered looking aussie violinist, looks like he is actually *feeling* what he's playing, if that makes sense. and he has lovely silky shiny hair in this too.



cherry tree: for the lyrics "you're sharp alright... can we show a little discipline?"

baby we'll be fine - "all we've gotta do is brave and be kind... i pull off your jeans and you spill jack and coke in my collar, i melt like a witch and scream.. i'm so sorry for everything "



wasp nest - sleigh bells, really nice arrangement. "come over here, i wanna kiss your skinny throat".

lit up: their newest single (i think), violinist dude really goes for it.

abel - starts off shaky but gets into its stride about halfway through. matt is like a coiled spring, screaming and shaking and biting his hand. he's very sweet and shy in r/l.



so, to sum up:

quiet songs

about today
wasp nest
baby we'll be fine
cherry tree

loud songs

murder me rachael.
abel
lit up

i think i've pinpointed the moment i fell in love with them: when they announced their second album would be called 'sad songs for dirty lovers'.