The National - Apartment Story Single Review

The National
Apartment Story
Single Review

With the stunning Boxer sure to appear on many critics' and fans' Album Of The Year lists over the next few weeks it's a good time to remember why; despite being one of the less impressive cuts from the record 'Apartment Story' remains a superior chunky autumnal feast with Matt Berninger's laconic mumble a little more coherent than usual over a relentless snare-fest of a beat. As he proposes a spot of hibernation ("sleep in our clothes and wait for winter to leave... we'll;stay inside til somebody finds us, do whatever the TV tells us") it's all the listener can do to find an oversized jumper, a big pair of socks and turn the thermostat up. A woozy weekend of a song, it's nonetheless matched by the band's poignantly folky live rendition of Bruce Springsteen's 'Mansion On The Hill' which occupies the B-side. It's the sound of a band finding its place in the world and genuinely affecting, confirming their status as one of the best acts around at the moment.

Owen Lloyd