The New Classics #35: Boxer, The National

Title: Boxer
Artist: The National
Year: 2007
Label: Beggars Banquet

The 2000s were the decade of indie rock. Everywhere you turned, it seemed "indie" music and culture were starring you in the face. The vast majority of the albums covered during this project were called "indie rock" at one point in time. So, that begs a very important question: just what exactly is "indie rock?" How so many diverse sounds and styles is a mystery that might never be fully answered, but the term has stubbornly haunted a huge percentage of the artists on this list. However, the National are most certainly a true indie-rock band, in all senses of the words. They're signed to one of the most celebrated independent labels in music history (Beggars Banquet) and play intimate, emotional guitar music far removed from the grit and noise of commercial rock and roll. They are representative of so many similar bands that have toiled away, with differing levels of success, over the past ten years. Yet, somehow, this quintet from Ohio (of all places) have vaulted over their peers and become one of the essential indie bands of our era. The main reason behind their rise to power is 2008's Boxer.

The National do have a major leg up on their competition and his name is Matt Berninger. One of the tragically few baritone lead singers in rock bands, Berninger's deep, droning croon gives the band a unique and instantly identifiable sound. It's also perfectly suited to the subject matter of a typical National song, best summed up on Boxer's lead single "Mistaken For Strangers" as the "uninnocent, elegant fall into the unmagnificent lives of adults." Boxer is dominated by two major recurring themes: adulthood and alcohol. "Apartment Story," "Fake Empire" and "Guest Room" are fueled by denial, trying to stave off mature responsibilities and stability, yearning for the days of "being ruffians, going wild and bright." Meanwhile, "Brainy" and "Start A War" deal with volatile and possibly unhealthy relationships, as the songs' narrators realize that what worked with women five years ago is beginning to fail. Throughout, Berninger sings of "standing at the punchbowl, swallowing punch" or putting "a little something in our lemonade," while his slurring, monotonous vocal style underlines the state of drunken despondency his characters have worked themselves into. Boxer isn't about the type of drunkenness where everyone gets kisses and bear hugs. These songs take place in the moments after that, full of confusion, introspection and loneliness.

With themes like that, it's a wonder that every song on Boxer isn't a straight-up dirge. Yet, musically, the National possess that distinct, melancholy elegance touched upon in "Mistaken For Strangers." The band's two guitarists (brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner) don't really play lead, instead churning up atmospheric sheets of subtle noise or memorable, acoustic arpeggios. The real lead instrument is Bryan Devendorf's cavernous drums, played with far more flourish and complexity than in your average indie rock band. If anything, his drum patterns are the real hooks that get stuck in your head after the songs are over (see: "Squalor Victoria"). Over this traditional guitars-and-drums foundation are strong piano chords, moody string arrangements and even a deceivingly subtle organ. All these non-rock instrumental touches accentuate the minor-key nature of Boxer's songs, giving them a majestic and, indeed, elegant sadness.

The National's ascension from obscure up-and-comers to one of the leading lights into indie rock was signaled a few years earlier, when their 2005 album Alligator quietly shocked critics into rapturous hyperbole. No one really heard Alligator at the time, though, so it was Boxer that built upon that snowballing success and finally become the band's much-deserved crossover into the mainstream. The album's sophisticated brand of urbane misery was immediately picked up by every indie-minded television show, leading to "Fake Empire," "Start A War" and "Racing Like A Pro" cropping up everywhere, from Gossip Girl to Chuck to One Tree Hill. Just last month, the band released High Violet, which debuted at #3 on the Billboard charts. They've officially joined bands like Spoon, Arcade Fire and Modest Mouse as indie rock groups that have tasted real success, instead of languishing away in the land of "critical-acclaim-and-nothing else." However, unlike some of their fellow indie flag-bearers, the National achieved that success with one of their strongest works. Boxer is a beautiful and rich album, without any weak moments or lags. It's a coherent, complete work by a band that has already entered the new decade on a immensely high note, building further upon their success in the past one.

Next up on The New Classics: Third, Portishead