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Alligator
 
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Alligator

~ The National
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
Price: £4.98 & this item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions
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Alligator + Boxer + The National
Price For All Three: £21.04

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  • This item: Alligator ~ The National

    In stock.
    Dispatched from and sold by Amazon.co.uk.
    This item Delivered FREE in the UK with Super Saver Delivery. See details and conditions

  • Boxer ~ The National

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  • The National ~ The National

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Product details

  • Audio CD (11 April 2005)
  • Number of Discs: 1
  • Label: Beggars Banquet
  • ASIN: B0007LCNKM
  • Other Editions: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 2,552 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

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Listen to Samples and Buy MP3s

Songs from this album are available to purchase as MP3s. Click on "Buy MP3" or view the MP3 Album.

Samples
Song Title Time Price
Listen  1. Secret Meeting 3:44£0.69
Listen  2. Karen 3:59£0.79
Listen  3. Lit Up 2:55£0.79
Listen  4. Looking For Astronauts 3:23£0.79
Listen  5. Daughters Of The Soho Riots 3:58£0.79
Listen  6. Baby We'll Be Fine 3:21£0.79
Listen  7. Friend Of Mine 3:25£0.79
Listen  8. Val Jester 3:00£0.79
Listen  9. All The Wine 3:15£0.79
Listen10. Abel 3:37£0.79
Listen11. The Geese Of Beverly Road 4:56£0.79
Listen12. City Middle 4:27£0.79
Listen13. Mr. November 4:00£0.69

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

On their third recording, the National strikes a delicate balance between light and dark, fast and slow, American and British. While their sound is undeniably tinged with darkness, it isn't gloomy or depressing. This impression is mostly due to Matt Berninger's deep baritone, which brings to mind such sensitive, but manly Brit vocalists as Scott Walker and Stuart Staples of the Tindersticks. The National, however, are American. Formed in Brooklyn in 1999, the quintet hails from Cincinatti and doesn't sound much like a New York Band (Interpol, the Strokes, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, etc.). Instead, they could be Midwestern or even Canadian in the way they combine alt-country, chamber-pop, and post-punk angst, like Toronto's Royal City or Montreal's Arcade Fire. Often compared to Nick Cave, Leonard Cohen, and Tom Waits, the National's music is actually faster-paced and has a lighter, almost jaunty touch. In other words: they rock. --Kathleen C. Fennessy


CD Description

The National's debut for Beggars Banquet Records boasts eloquent production and some of frontman Matt Berninger's finest songs. The Brooklyn band's sound includes elements of folkand swirling indie rock, with Berninger's literate, emotivetunes drawing heavily on the tradition of melancholic singer/songwriters. On "Daughters of the Soho Riots", Berninger'sbaritone croon recalls Gordon Lightfoot, yet his lyrics areincisive, confessional, and decidedly contemporary. The combination of surreal imagery and genuine pathos in "Baby, We'll Be Fine" (expressed in the song's repeated refrain) is also representative of Berninger's craft.
Two pairs of brothers--Aaron and Bryce Dessner (guitars) and Scott and Bryan Devendorf (bass and drums, respectively)--keep things alternately chiming, churning, and appropriately atmospheric. The startling relationship sketch "Karen", for example, rides a light rock pulse dominated by piano and augmented by strings, making it one of the album's shining moments. "All the Wine" turns Berninger's usually dark self-exploration on its head with its semi-ironic self-aggrandisement. ALLIGATOR's 13 tracks testify to the National's standing as one of the moredistinctive and absorbing bands around.

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
5 star:
 (14)
4 star:
 (4)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (1)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Recommended, 22 April 2005
By Mike Mantin (Bristol, UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
With New York offering little in the Great Bands department last year after 2003's NY explosion, it's refreshing to see one of the year's gems straight outta Brooklyn. This, however, is no hype-fuelled hipster workout. 'Alligator' is the National's third album, their first on a major label and hopefully the one which will throw them into the mainstream, and deservedly so. It should float the boats of fans of dark, brooding post-punk (opener 'Secret Meeting) and introspective Americana (the beautiful 'Daughters Of The Soho Riots) alike. There's even a bit of welcome shouting thrown in, on fantastic single 'Abel'.

Matt Berninger provides deep, soothing vocals reminiscent of Ian Curtis and, more recently, Interpol's Paul Banks, which slot in perfectly with the high-pitch guitar noises. But the range of styles and oblique lyrics suggest there's far more on offer here than moody alt-rock. Berninger turns alt-country strummer 'Karen' into a medium for his deepest thoughts and sexual confessions. You'll notice the breezy tune first and the interesting lyrics ("Karen, put me in a chair, f**k me and make me a drink" and even more disturbing, "It's a common fetish for a doting man to ballerina on the coffee table, c**k in hand") second, giving the album substantial replay value.

Almost every track on this mini masterpiece is intriguing and listenable and there are highlights in abundance. 'Abel' boasts a great sing-along chorus of "My mind's not right!" amidst simple indie-rock verses, while closer 'Mr November' documents their (clearly failed) rush to get the album completed before the November elections with its line "The English are waiting and I don't know what to do/ In my best clothes" before just about getting away with saying "I'm the new blue blood, I'm the great white hope", because it might just be true. 'Val Jester' and 'Daughters Of The Soho Riots' are both gorgeous slower songs unafraid to delve into strange personal love experiences and fantasies. Tuneful and poetic, 'Alligator' is truly an album to cherish.

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16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars This band definitely deserve a listen, 11 Jul 2006
By Mike J. Wheeler (Kingswinford, England) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   
I bought this a couple of months ago on the back of it being listed in my 'recommendations' on Amazon. Must admit that some of the stuff recommended is a bit duff (remarkably yesterday I was recommended 'Closer to the Edge' by prog rock dinosaurs Yes on the back of liking The Stranglers' 'Black and White'!!!), however on this ocassion Amazon came up trumps. I hadn't even heard of The National when I bought this, but reading customers' reviews convinced me to give it a try. I am so glad that I did. 'Alligator' is a remarkable album. Hard to pin down the exact genre of music this is but if you like Eels, Arcade Fire and anything like that then I'm sure that you'll like this. Someone below said it sounds like Joy Division.....hmmmm. Not really Ian Curtis, yes I can see that National singer Matt Berninger sounds a bit down but not in the same way that the suicidal Curtis did. I also don't get the comparisons with Nick Cave. Again I like Cave but this is not the same at all. Alligator is beautifully written both lyrically and musically, Berninger's deep voice perfectly accompanied by well-worked indie-type guitar music on most tracks, but some tracks also have superb string and keyboard arrangements. Standout tracks - 'Secret Meeting, 'Karen', 'Val Jester' and 'All the Wine'. This band definitely deserve a listen and this album is perfectly accessible to anyone with an ear for good music. Go buy it.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Misunderstood...., 1 Mar 2006
This album is just incredible. I actually bought it after reading a glowing review in Uncut magazine and I wasn't disappointed...its a tangle of intelligent yet bruising indie rock 'n' roll and sweet, melodic & melancholic americana that just works perfectly. However, i've found that because IT IS SO perfectly calculated and SO cleverly constructed in its' arrangement and melody that a lot of people fail to "get it" immediately and simply give up, which is a huge mistake! Never have i felt the term "grower" more apt than when applied to this album, and I urge you to buy it and listen until your ears bleed...
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars grower
at first i was a bit disappointed by this, but i was being too impatient. it has more subtlety than, say, boxer, but i think it might have more to it for all that. Read more
Published 16 days ago by Bethany M. Hunt

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best albums in the last 10 years.
If you like music with guitars in it and have an ounce of emotion, you must listen to this record. Enough said.
Published 16 months ago by B. Taylor

4.0 out of 5 stars Waiting for the click
The National operate at the americana end of indie, and they do what they do very well: the sound of chiming guitars, low key rock riffing, very restrained, very considered, and... Read more
Published 19 months ago by M. G. Wilson

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who like to think, while they rock
The National should be the standard bearers of literate, expansive rock. Forget Arcade Fire.
The members' years spent in unglamorous jobs before starting the band mean that... Read more
Published on 15 Jul 2007 by J. Jenkins

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing
One of the greatest guitar albums ever made. Absolutely flawless and stunning. You need this.
Published on 12 Jul 2007 by Mr. D. Mcgrady

4.0 out of 5 stars I'm so totally not sure...!
So this is a strange album in it's own right. I was first turned on to this band by a spirited performance on Later...With Jools Holland and some glowing UK press. Read more
Published on 24 Dec 2006 by Viper

5.0 out of 5 stars An absolutely stunning masterpiece!
I first heard the National when they supported the Editors at their Brixton Academy gig last week. I must admit I was kind of taken aback (not expecting too much) to hear some... Read more
Published on 6 Jun 2006 by Jonathan Collin

5.0 out of 5 stars Sometimes...
Sometimes you find an album that you really can't describe, a genre you can't tie down by an artist you can't quite define. Read more
Published on 24 April 2006 by Mike

2.0 out of 5 stars Mostly disappointing...
A bit of dark, brooding Americana - from the tempting reviews I'd read for this album I was warming up for some downbeat gothic masterpiece. Read more
Published on 20 Jan 2006

5.0 out of 5 stars Fab random buy
I bought this as an off chance following an Amazon recommendation. It is a superb album that for me is a modern day Joy Division album. Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2006 by BuyerLSD

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