Bloodbuzz Ohio – The National

Voices are so important in rock music. Not just singers. Voices. There’s an important distinction in there somewhere. Sure, we look at the electric guitar as the vital ingredient of rock. There are T-Shirts and Key-rings from The Hard-Rock Hotel and bad T-Shirts bought for men in their 40’s (and up) which feature Stratocasters on fire and blah blah blah. Guitars, sure. Pretty important.

But, Lets. Talk. Voices.

Let me ask you this. Where else in the music world do you get some loose open drums and a bit of buzzing around a piano riff elevated like this?

Elevated to the sort of emotional trigger that can stop a conversation dead or make the tiny hairs all over the neck and shoulders stand right on end? Where else than in rock?

Bloodbuzz Ohio begins as just a rock band (any rock band) getting started on a song until you get to;

“Stand up straight at the foot of your love I lift my shirt up”

Just then suddenly, those drums are the most important drums you ever heard, that Weoooo buzzing is the atmosphere you breathe and that piano is almost your entire emotional spectrum all at once. All because of that deep baritone voice (Matt Berninger’s deep baritone voice) and it’s cool n’ calm delivery. The National are a wonderful demonstration of the whole being greater than the sum of the parts in action.

“I was carried to Ohio in a swarm of bees, I never married but Ohio don’t remember me”

The most obvious touch stone for describing The National to anyone as yet unfamiliar is Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds. They occupy the same intelligent, dark, witty poetry in the face of despair space as the Grindermen on their day job. They have a disarming image which does not hint at the hidden depths of their still waters. And yet Bad Seeds Lite does them an injustice.

Bloodbuzz Ohio is one of their more famous tracks for good reason. It crosses right over to fans of things like Augustines, Mark Lanegan, The War On Drugs, The Low Anthem and Pulp and unites a kind of cerebral indie fan in a quiet respect.

“I’m on a blood-buzz yes I am I’m on a blood… buzz”

They’re rightfully huge in the mainstream slipstream now. They can fill cavernous old timey theaters with ornate architecture and plush light fittings on each tour they play and they occupy the same sweet ‘star stealing spot’ on a festival bill as Interpol and Elbow usually directly beneath the headline act.

All this has been achieved over a 20 year career of steadily releasing high quality albums chock full of honest gimmick free rock music that leans into the bands strengths but is led by THAT voice. All this without ever having a bona fide hit. They’re and aficionados band the same way pretty much every other act mentioned in those paragraphs above is an aficionados band. You could maybe add Decemberists, Lambchop, Wilco, Doves and The The to that roll call.

You either see those acts as excellent company to be in or you’re off listening to a whole other scene.

Treasure the National. They’re all ours.