Blog: I AM FUEL, YOU ARE FRIENDS

The first song on The National 's 2005 album Alligator is also one of my favorites by them, ever. There is an ineffable quality to "Secret Meeting" that I never tire of listening to -- the fantastic percussion that firmly anchors the song to bedrock as the luminous guitar chords dance and skitter above it. But in the midst of the beauty it has a darker chaos thrumming just beneath the surface, as with so much of their music. Berninger sings agitatedly about spies, sharks, and paranoia, [...]

• The National - Secret Meeting