The National - Apartment Story

Apartment Story is the latest single from The National's Boxer album, which is very very far ahead in my list of albums of 2007, along with Of Montreal's unstoppably brilliant pop masterpiece Hissing Fauna, Are You the Destroyer?. Many fans were a bit underwhelmed with it compared to how much they'd come to love it's predecessor (Alligator), but I think that (like that record), it's another one where it takes a while to sink in. It won't give you instant gratification; rather a prolonged affair that sooner or later will affect you like not very much else that's happened album-wise in the last 9 or 10 months or so. They've joined the ranks of Afghan Whigs, Low and American Music Club in my ranking of truly great romantic and truly affecting American bands, and Boxer has actually taken over from Alligator as my favourite album of theirs. Apartment Story is one reason, although really any song from the album would have been a fine promotional statement on the band's behalf. Here it is, along with a live cover of Brucey Springsteen's Nebraska classic Manson On The Hill. The National are on tour over here during November (Portsmouth date! OMG!) along with the also fine St. Vincent, so make sure you show them their due respect.

The National - Apartment Story
The National - Mansion On The Hill (live)