This EP by the National, released between their 2nd and 3rd full-length albums, has a real intensity; all of the songs are magnificently crafted, and deliver a huge punch. The song arrangements are in the main simple - in Wasp Nest, All Dolled Up In Straps and About Today, Matt Berninger's beautiful yet haunting vocals really stand out. Cherry Tree is fantastic for the build-up of energy, whilst I had already heard All The Wine from their ensuing album. The last two songs unfortunately didn't really do it for me - the live version of Murder Me Rachel seems, as commented the previous reviewer, out of place, while Reasonable Man just seemed to lack quality in my eyes. However I'm giving the EP a five star review on the strength of the first 5 songs.