The National’s third album Alligator is where the band took a massive leap forward to the sound that they would take to a much wider audience a few years later. For the first couple of albums, the musicianship lead by the Dessner and Davendorf brothers was the main while lyrist Matt Berninger found his unique voice. On Alligator, Berninger lyrics add much intrigue to several of the songs and show his growth as a musical storyteller.
A solid backbeat from Bryan Davendorf holds the lower end of the whimsical “Looking For Astronauts”. “Secret Meeting” sees some melodic guitars along with a catchy chorus. “Karen” is a particular highlight. Spoken from the point of view of a scattered brain alcoholic, it’s a mysterious story where Berninger sings – “idle, idle, idle, idle, protect the nest, protect the title”.
The band lets loose and rocks out on several tracks including the anthemic single “Lit Up” and the pent up fury of “Abel” where Berninger screams repeatedly, “My mind’s not right, my mind’s not right!”. “Baby, We’ll Be Fine” has an interesting dream verse about running into your boss before the refrain “I’m so sorry for everything” repeatedly appears. The album closes with the somewhat political “Mr. November” who promises “I won’t f*** us over”. Alligator is a really good album by a band on the verge of a breakthrough and on the cusp of indie rock greatness.
8/10
The Light Appears 