Recommended If You Like The National

Very few bands “make it”; far more toil in relative obscurity, only sometimes earning a fan base and a living wage for their art. Many of these little- or under-known acts, though, are the inspiration for or the compatriots of those bigger acts that make it. And so, The A.V. Club’s Recommended If You Like, where we start with a bigger band—Mumford And Sons, for example—and run down a few acts that the bigger band’s fans might be into.

For this edition, we’ve immersed ourselves in the moody, first-world-problems rock of The National. Since the release of its self-titled debut nearly 10 years ago, the band has become one of the biggest names in modern indie rock. The National is set to play Air Canada Centre on Thursday, Dec. 8, so The A.V. Club thought it smart to curate a list of acts that occupy similar sonic territory, for fans looking to spruce up their music libraries.

Silver Jews
One of the most consistent through lines of all five of The National’s LPs is its unique lyrics, a blend of conversation snippets and character sketches, which often bring to mind one of indie rock’s most poetic songwriters, Silver Jews’ David Berman. Their lyrics share similar themes of anxiety, substance abuse, and relationships ruined by the two, but Berman takes a much more “on the ground” approach to these issues. He’s seen some serious shit in his 40-odd years on this earth, including crack addiction, a suicide attempt, and a personal vendetta against his creepy lobbyist father, and his impressionistic lyrics reflect this. The National is a bit more literary-minded in its songwriting approach, but any fan who still gets a kick out of reading liner notes would do well to check out the Jews.

Clogs
Described in various press materials as a “sister band” to The National, Clogs was founded by The National’s guitarist Bryce Dessner and Padma Newsome, a longtime collaborator and friend of the band. Clogs take a more avant-garde approach to composition than the The National, often incorporating modern classical music influences and formal improvisation into their recordings. That’s not to say they are inaccessable; Clogs records could easily become favorites amongst any open-minded, Dark Was The Night-loving hepcat. Their latest record, The Creatures In The Garden Of Lady Walton, which features contributions from similarly high-minded musicians like Shara Worden of My Brightest Diamond and electro-folk superstar Sufjan Stevens, was named one of the best genre-defying albums of 2010 by NPR.

Cass McCombs
The National has run the table on introspective, folk-tinged, baroque pop rock for at least five years now, but there is still room in the margins for the vaguely elusive singer-songwriter Cass McCombs. McCombs has released two records in the past year, displaying a sort of split persona: the sparse, spacious arrangements on McComb’s Wit’s End are reminiscent of The National’s most sullen cuts, while the more upbeat Humor Risk’s rock-oriented tracks conjure thoughts of the calmly propulsive songs from 2007’s Boxer. Though they are tonally similar, McCombs seems to consciously avoid any crossover potential, throwing a wrench into the works by way of tossing a slowcore throwback in the middle of an otherwise upbeat album or rocking strangely hostile interview candor.

Retribution Gospel Choir
Best known for his work in Low, one of the best, quietest bands of the last 20 years, Alan Sparhawk indulges his louder tendencies with Retribution Gospel Choir. “Hide It Away,” the opening track on the band’s sophomore record, 2, brings to mind a more psychedelic iteration of The National’s breakout jam, the well-mannered barn-burner “Bloodbuzz Ohio.” Retribution Gospel Choir’s songs are much more distortion-laden than most anything The National has touched, but the band’s thoughtful approach to relatively straightforward rock ’n’ roll is ultimately rewarding to any indie rock fan. Though Sparhawk has made a career out of delicately heartbreaking songs with his main gig, any fan of The National will quickly connect with this group that ably eschews the derisive “side project” label.

Daniel Knox
A hallmark of many of The National’s best songs is the absurdist lyrics that fly by unobtrusively. For example: “It’s a common fetish for a doting man to ballerina on the coffee table, cock in hand.” Chicagoan Daniel Knox, much like his peers in austerity, tosses off blink-and-you’ll-miss-them one-liners on the regular. His tranquil, pastoral music and jaunty croon masks a cutting wit that most open mic comics would trade their Mr. Show box sets for. Knox’s music is driven by his unique fixation on the darkly dramatic cabaret acts of the 1920s; his boomy, trembling voice and playful piano is often accompanied by drunken horns and a haunting singing saw. Humor in music can be a touchy thing: Use too much and risk looking like a too-cool Weird Al, or avoid it all together and suddenly you’re Coldplay without any of the money or fame. Luckily for both The National and Knox, their juxtapositions of the serious and the sardonic work like a charm.