National Alert!

I have a confession to make that will startle most blog readers from last year. For pretty much the first few months after it landed, I hated Boxer by The National. It didn't seem as good as the hype made out; I didn't see it growing on me, in fact I pretty much ignored it. Thank God, then, for shuffle; one day coasting along the underground on my way to work, 'Fake Empire' gently drifted into my headphones, shocking me out of my blatant ignorance. Now, of course, I love Boxer.

Today, however, we're talking about The Virginia EP, The National's own mini-celebration of themselves; a kind of retrospective for the very recent past. The EP is essentially a collection of demo tracks, covers, live tracks and a couple of more than worthy new songs that could easily have nestled amongst Boxer's highlights. For those of us who haven't yet caught the much whispered-about live show, we get a whistful 'Fake Empire' that only makes you more jealous of the ticket holders among us.

I'm dropping you new track 'Blank Slate', a broody little number with a neat repeating bass refrain bolstered in the chorus with clean inter-woven guitar lines. For me it's the best track on the E.P, and if it brings in a few more National converts, more's the better.

The National - Blank Slate