音樂是這世界上最美好的事

如果要簡單來形容The National，那就是他們實在不起眼，初聽者可能會被異常低沉的嗓音影響、覺得好陰暗，但偏偏仔細聽會有意外的發現。我幸運了點，才剛接觸不久（但其實已經出到第四張專輯）就親眼看到The National的現場演出，主唱Matt Berninger低沉抑鬱的嗓音可以下墜到最低點，沿著地面蟄伏緩速前進，也可以火力全開狂暴嘶吼，但高音在謹慎的掌控下不會爆掉，比起專輯來得猛，低音也來得更感性，實在好聽極了。

這樣的嗓音我會想起Tindersticks，無論在歌詞題材上或曲子表現上，The National都好有他們的味道。最不同的是，往往飽滿帶勁的鼓點是那樣快速催促著，兩把吉他就這樣飆啊飆，當時現場還有澳洲作曲家Padma Newsome拉起小提琴，震得我毫無招架之力。

我特別喜歡「Apartment Story」的“Brit-Pop”爽朗，帶有封閉與私密感的浪漫（We’ll stay inside till somebody finds us / Do whatever the TV tells us / Stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz / So worry not / All things are well / We’ll be alright / We have our looks and perfume on），剛好這時候在聽Travis新專輯，聽膩了「Closer」就聽「Apartment Story」稍微緩和，導致每天都要聽好幾遍它，而且，怎麼就是聽不膩！


The National / Apartment Story

Be still for a second while I try and try to pin your flowers on
Can you carry my drink I have everything else
I can tie my tie all by myself
I’m getting tied, I’m forgetting why

Oh we’re so disarming darling, everything we did believe
is diving diving diving diving off the balcony
Tired and wired we ruin too easy
sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave

Hold ourselves together with our arms around the stereo for hours
While it sings to itself or whatever it does
when it sings to itself of its long lost loves
I’m getting tied, I’m forgetting why

Tired and wired we ruin too easy
sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave
but I’ll be with you behind the couch when they come
on a different day just like this one

We’ll stay inside til somebody finds us
do whatever the TV tells us
stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz for days
We’ll stay inside til somebody finds us
do whatever the TV tells us
stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz

so worry not
all things are well
we’ll be alright
we have our looks and perfume

stay inside til somebody finds us
do whatever the TV tells us
stay inside our rosy-minded fuzz

so worry not
all things are well
we’ll be alright
we have our looks and perfume on


歌詞來源
圖片來源：The National官網
其他試聽：The National @ myspace

PS.
新專輯台灣已經發行嚕！
The National英國Fopp唱片行巡演的故事刊登在DVDinfo雜誌六月號，有興趣的可以找來看。