The National: Sad Songs For Dirty Lovers (Abbey Road remaster) [4AD]

Why you'll love it

This 2021 reissue was remastered by Christian Wright at Abbey Road Studios and keeps the original artwork. It's the first album with Bryce Dessner as a full member and the first with Peter Katis, who went on to produce Alligator and Boxer.

This edition

• Remastered at Abbey Road Studios
• Heavyweight vinyl
• Original artwork

About the album

Every band has an album where the lineup clicks into place. For the National it was this one: Bryce Dessner joined his twin brother Aaron as a full member, the group became the five-piece it still is, and Peter Katis came aboard to mix the record, the start of a partnership that ran through Alligator and Boxer.

Nick Lloyd produced most of it, and Matt Berninger's baritone already sounds like a man narrating his own late night. "Cardinal Song" opens with a slow-burning ache, "Murder Me Rachael" and "Available" show off the band's wilder, louder side, and "Slipping Husband" and "Lucky You" settle into the wry, wounded storytelling they'd make their own. Padma Newsome's viola and violin add a lovely string-section hush, and Steve LoPresti's French horn warms up "Sugar Wife."

Brassland first issued it in 2003, Metacritic logged a score of 78, and by 2010 it had sold around 27,000 copies in the US. Nate Martinez adds guitar to "Cardinal Song," and Luke Hughett lends his voice to "Thirsty," which seems a hospitable thing to do for a song of that name.

Also at Kops: more The National on vinyl · browse Alternative

Tracklist

Listen

On Brassland / 4AD (cat# 4AD0313LP), a reissue of the 2003 album.