The National

Monday, September 26, hi-dive, 720-570-4500.

For a certain kind of person, there's nothing happier than really sad music. That's where the National comes in. On the quintet's latest critically lauded album, Alligator,Matt Berninger comes on like Bill Callahan fronting American Music Club, while brothers Aaron and Bryce Dessner and Scott and Bryan Devendorf provide a cinematic and anthemic backdrop that's simultaneously grandiose and vulnerable. Even as Berninger fixates on self-loathing mantras like "I'm so sorry for everything" and "I used to be carried in the arms of cheerleaders," his bandmates swirl around him like the guys who probably beat him up in the locker room. In the end, Alligator's tension-filled juju of arrogance and desperation is the spiritual cousin of the Afghan Whigs' Gentlemen, with an extra dose of misanthropy thrown in for good measure.

 
My Voice Nation Help
 

Concert Calendar

  • May
  • Tue
    21
  • Wed
    22
  • Thu
    23
  • Fri
    24
  • Sat
    25
  • Sun
    26
  • Mon
    27
Denver Event Tickets
©2013 Denver Westword, LLC, All rights reserved.
Browse Voice Nation
  • Voice Places Denver / Boulder

    Voice Places

    Find everything you're looking for in your city

  • Happy Hour App

    Happy Hour App

    Find the best happy hour deals in your city

  • Daily Deals

    Daily Deals

    Get today's exclusive deals at savings of anywhere from 50-90%

  • Best Of

    Best Of...

    Check out the hottest list of places and things to do around your city