The National

Pull up a stool and put that money away. We've got the first round covered and the perfect soundtrack for a long night of pints and pouring your heart out. Specifically, an hour or so of the National on repeat — from the threatening skies and scattershot drum shots of "Mistaken for Strangers" and "Apartment Story" to the claustrophobic chords and livid, corrosive choruses of "Mr. November" and "Abel." Why this particular band of Brooklynites? Because Matt Berninger bellows his pitch-black poetry in an end-of-days baritone that'd bring a church to its knees or chill the spines of ex-lovers; because alt-country and chamber pop belong together; and because there's gotta be a good reason why the National's gigs tend to sell out like an indie Springsteen tour. We'd explain why . . . if songs like "England" and "Lit Up" didn't speak plenty for themselves.