I like a few The National songs. Like I Need My Girl and Once Upon a Poolside.
The National
You brought this into the conversation.
The National
You brought this into the conversation.
Those two songs show off The National at their most restrained and tender, letting quiet patterns, delicate keys, and Matt Berninger's close-mic vocals create an intimate room rather than a wall of sound. Here are three tracks that tap into that same hushed, late-night headspace: Does that hushed, low-key mood hit the spot, or do you also enjoy the band when the drums push forward and the guitars get louder?
Sufjan Stevens
Sufjan Stevens sings the gentle backing vocals on Once Upon a Poolside, and this piece carries a very similar tenderness, starting with quiet fingerpicking and piano before introducing a soft, hypnotic electronic rhythm.
Sharon Van Etten
Much like the looping guitars and steady pulse in I Need My Girl, this song uses muted piano chords and restrained drums to frame an aching, vulnerable vocal that stays subtle rather than exploding into noise.
Tindersticks
Stuart Staples shares Matt Berninger's deep, conversational vocal range, singing here over warm organ and slow, weeping strings that evoke a similar feeling of late-night domestic solitude.
These sources informed this turn. A musical connection is a suggestion, not a guarantee of fit.
Afraid of Nothing and Tiny Tears are keepers.
Those two songs land on an incredible sweet spot: Afraid of Nothing has that patient, raw emotional focus, while Tiny Tears leans into smoky chamber arrangements and late-night baritone melancholy. Here are three tracks exploring that intersection of stately arrangements, aching vocals, and quiet room presence. Do you prefer when songs stay stripped down to simple piano and voice, or do you enjoy when those slow, lush strings wash over the track?
Richard Hawley
Like the weeping strings and romantic desolation of Tiny Tears, the title track to Hawley's 2005 album envelops his rich baritone in sweeping orchestral strings and muted, late-night atmosphere.
Cat Power
Echoing the restrained piano and slow-building vulnerability of Afraid of Nothing, Chan Marshall pairs hesitant piano chords, brushed drums, and bittersweet strings with a hushed, smoky vocal.
Bill Callahan
Carrying forward the deep vocal cadence of Tiny Tears, this piece from Callahan's Apocalypse is built on a hypnotic electric piano figure, subtle guitar accents, and a weary, deeply intimate delivery.
These sources informed this turn. A musical connection is a suggestion, not a guarantee of fit.
