For the first half of September, I’ll be selecting my Top 15 favorite songs from The National. A band that has rarely let me down — both in the recording studio and in concert. #FaveArtistTop15
The National’s musical roots started in country and its various alternative expressions. It all began with their self-titled debut album, a recording that existed before they ever performed live. Listening back to that first LP, it’s quite a trip reflecting on the band’s significant evolution over the past 20 years. It’s not one of my favorite albums from the band, but “Cold Girl Fever” is still a track I enjoy immensely.
Playing a seminal role in the band’s development and aesthetic, “Cold Girl Fever” may have sounded light years behind Alligator and Boxer. But it seemed to gather trademark elements of the band, neatly packaged in layers with a handsome bow on top. “Cold Girl Fever” was built on mood, not melody. It was a beautiful collision of two worlds — the Americana-infused universe felt in the opening guitar strum and Berninger’s bass drone and then the experimental universe epitomized by the hypnotic synthesizer hook and odd tempo halt at the 1:55 mark. This was the rookie track that became a foreshadowing of great things to come.
“Don't hold on to me when there's nothing to hold.”