The National formed in 1999, when five friends from Cincinnati, Ohio met again after all of them had relocated to Brooklyn, NY. They are Aaron Dessner (guitars, bass), Bryce Dessner (guitar), Scott Devendorf (guitar; bass), Bryan Devendorf (drums) and Matt Berninger (vocals). For years, the band had received critical praise but it wasn’t until 2005’s Alligator that a wider audience finally discovered them.
Written over the course of thirteen months at their homes in Brooklyn, NY, Boxer is the result of a lot of hard work and marks a new chapter in the band’s career. Mostly recorded at Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, CT (some additional recording was done by the band and Brandon Reid in Brooklyn, NY and White Sulphur Springs, WV), it was then produced and mixed by the band and Peter Katis (Interpol, Spoon). Boxer hits as high as Alligator but is a different record – just another classic album from a band on top form.
Tracklisting
1. Fake Empire
2. Mistaken For Strangers
3. Brainy
4. Squalor Victoria
5. Green Gloves
6. Slow Show
7. Apartment Story
8. Start A War
9. Guest Room
10. Racing Like A Pro
11. Ada
12. Gospel