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The National in conversation

The National joins Steve Lamacq to chat about their new album - First Two Pages Of Frankenstein which is released on Friday.

The National joins Steve Lamacq to chat about their new album - First Two Pages Of Frankenstein - which is released on Friday. The album is The National鈥檚 ninth studio album, following on from 2019鈥檚 鈥業 Am Easy To Find鈥.

The record was written after a period of writers block-induced creative crisis. Singer Matt Berninger said, 鈥淚 was in a very dark spot where I couldn鈥檛 come up with lyrics or melodies at all, and that period lasted for over a year鈥 Even though we鈥檇 always been anxious and argued quite a lot whenever we were working on a record, this was the first time it ever felt like maybe things really had come to an end.鈥

The title for the album came from this period, when Matt says, 鈥溾淲hen I feel stuck I鈥檒l often grab a book off the shelf just to get some words in my head, and the first two pages of Frankenstein ended up triggering the song 鈥榊our Mind Is Not Your Friend鈥. The book starts off with the narrator on a voyage near the Arctic Circle, and that image of being adrift helped me to write about feeling disconnected and lost and lacking in purpose. Once I started confronting that strange, blurry panic of not having ideas, everything began to crack open a bit.鈥

3 hours

Last on

Wed 26 Apr 2023 16:00

Music Played

  • Beck

    Loser

    • Geffen.
  • Kae Tempest

    Nice Idea

    • Republic Records.
  • The Police

    Message In A Bottle

    • The Very Best Of Sting & The Police.
    • A&M.
  • SBTRKT

    DAYS GO BY (feat. Toro y Moi)

  • Patti Jo

    Make Me Believe In You

    • Wand.
  • Slaney Bay

    Move On

    • Move On.
    • Slaney Bay.
    • 1.
  • Radiohead

    Street Spirit (Fade Out) (Radio 1 Evening Session, 14 Sep 1994)

    • COLUMBIA.
  • Sparks

    The Number One Song In Heaven

    • The Best Of.
    • Island.
    • 10.
  • Clark

    Clutch Pearlers

    • Warp.
  • Apache Indian

    Don Raja

    • The Best Of.
    • Spectrum.
    • 12.
  • Electronic

    Getting Away With It

    • Factory.
  • Baby Rose

    螜 Won't Tell (feat. Smino)

    • Secretly Canadian.
  • Sea Power

    Please Stand Up

    • Rough Trade Records.
  • Sofia Kourtesis

    Madres

    • Ninja Tune.
  • The Vines

    Get Free

    • Heavenly.
  • Courtney Barnett

    Avant Gardener

    • Milk! Recordfs.
  • Pulp

    Weeds II (The Origin Of The Species)

    • Island.
  • Future Utopia

    Your Love (feat. Biig Piig)

    • 70Hz Recordings.
  • Dr. Dre

    Still D.R.E. (feat. Snoop Dogg)

    • Interscope.
  • Warmduscher

    Love Strong

    • Bella Union.
  • Reggae Roast, Horseman & Natty Campbell

    Blood & Fire Medley

    • Blood & Fire Medley.
    • Reggae Roast Records.
  • Super Furry Animals

    Something 4 The Weekend

    • Creation Records.
  • Alison Goldfrapp

    So Hard So Hot

    • Skint/BMG.
  • Two Door Cinema Club

    Something Good Can Work

    • CD SINGLE.
    • KITSUNE.
    • 1.
  • Benefits

    Warhorse

    • Invada.
  • Giorgio Moroder

    The Chase

    • And They Danced The Night Away CD1.
    • CASABLANCA.
    • 10.
  • ARXX

    Not Alone

  • 厂濒别补迟别谤鈥怟颈苍苍别测

    A New Wave

    • Sub Pop Records.
  • The National

    Eucalyptus

    • 4AD.
  • The National

    New Order T-Shirt

  • The Style Council

    My Ever Changing Moods

    • Polydor.
  • Jockstrap

    Debra

    • Rough Trade.
  • Andy Cook, Colin Gregory, Craig Scott, Jim Rodger, Quentin Jennings & The Dylans

    Mary Quant in Blue

    • The Dylans.
    • Beggars Banquet.
    • 10.
  • Bob Marley & The Wailers

    Is This Love

  • Lanterns on the Lake

    The Likes Of Us

    • Bella Union.
  • Alabama Shakes

    Hang Loose

    • ROUGH TRADE RECORDS.
  • Neon Waltz

    Thoughts / Dreams / Regrets

    • Thoughts / Dreams / Regrets.
    • Fierce Panda Records.
    • 1.

Broadcast

  • Wed 26 Apr 2023 16:00