The National return

It may have no title yet but The National are set to release the follow up to 2007's Boxer this coming May on 4AD Records. The National remain one of those rare bands who seem to exist beyond cliques, movements or scenes - something they share in common with, say, Yo La Tengo. Singer, Matt Berninger - every inch the anti-frontman - locates seaminess in even the most mundane circumstances. There's something ridiculously out of beat about The National which makes them all the more endearing, whether that's Berninger's flat vocal style against the band's vaguely anthemic sound or the drums which sound a little off, yet fit the sound perfectly.