Two sets of headphones - The National's roots and influences - News

Two sets of headphones - The National's roots and influences

As part of their week's guest edit and following on from the interview with Matt and Aaron, Bryce Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf picked a selection some of the music that's influenced them.

Have a listen to Steve Reich to hear hints of what some of the driving percussion and beautifully textured arrangements you hear on a National record may have been inspired by and find out which guitarist Michael Stipe recommended to Bryce that influenced the guitar riff on Afraid of Everyone...

Part of: The National guest edit Qthemusic.com.

Two sets of headphones: A playlist of some of their picks on Spotify.

Drummer Bryan Devendorf opts for:

Destroyer - Bay of Pigs
Beautiful and ambitious. Love, love, love this song.

Kurt Vile - Beach on the Moon (recycled lyrics)
I heard this on a local FM station driving back from LaGuardia airport. The DJ introduced the track, naming artist, etc. and I was thinking of Kurt Weill the composer. Well I was surprised. The production on this track is very enjoyable. Great song too.

Nite Jewel - Lover
My brother played this song for me. We were at a hotel in central Illinois. I was like, This is new? It sounds old, like from twenty-plus years ago. Just a lush, hedonistic groovy song.

Guitarist Bryce Dessner opts for:

Bauhaus - Third Uncle (from The Sky's Gone Out, 1982 Beggars Banquet).
This is one of my absolute favorite records. And definitely my favorite early record released on our label Beggars Banquet. We have never thought of Bauhaus as an influence, but lately its one of the only records I feel like listening to. Dark, ominous, and catchy as hell.

Television - Marquee Moon
"When we were making High Violet, Michael Stipe said to me that the only guitarist (besides Peter Buck) who had ever really interested him was Tom Verlaine. I think the comment rubbed off on me and the strange trilly guitar line in Afraid of Everyone is inspired by Verlaine's riff on Marquee Moon."

Steve Reich - Music for Eighteen Musicians
Our drummer Bryan Devendorf, and my brother Aaron and I are huge fans of Steve Reich. And I think the way he uses pulsing rhythms and layered textures in this piece has been an influence on us. I recently got to perform and record a new piece with him which was amazing.

Bassist/guitarist Scott Devendorf's picks:

Wild Beasts - We Still Got The Taste Dancin' On Our Tongues
This is from their latest record, "Two Dancers" - love the melodic finger-picked bass lines throughout. Slyly subversive!