Judging from the band’s current popularity, it’s hard to believe that it took a bit of time for Ohio indie rock band The National to find their audience. They had moderate success with their self-titled, alt-country debut album in 2001, but after years of honing their Americana indie rock sound to perfection, they released the albums Alligator (2006) and Boxer (2007) and these works would catapult The National to international fame.
Their melancholy, often politically-themed songs coincided with the social unrest surrounding the 2008 U.S. presidential election, amplifying their music’s resonance with indie music fans worldwide.