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Alligator | ||||
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Studio album by | ||||
Released | April 12, 2005 | |||
Studio | Tarquin Studios; Drummerman Studios; Jess and Ole's House; Headgear Studios | |||
Genre | ||||
Length | 48:00 | |||
Label | Beggars Banquet | |||
Producer | Peter Katis and Paul Mahajan | |||
The National chronology | ||||
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Singles from Alligator | ||||
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Alligator is the third studio album by American indie rock band the National, released on April 12, 2005 on Beggars Banquet. Recorded and produced by Peter Katis and Paul Mahajan, the album brought The National critical acclaim and increased their fanbase significantly.
Alligator appeared on many year-end top 10 lists, including Uncut and Planet Sound, both of which ranked it as the number two album of 2005. Pitchfork ranked Alligator at number 40 in their top albums of the 2000s list.[1] Alligator has sold over 200,000 copies worldwide.[2]
The band performed album track "The Geese of Beverly Road" at the wedding of producer Peter Katis. A photo of the band performing on stage, with couples dancing in the foreground, became the cover of the band's next album Boxer.
The band supported Barack Obama's presidential candidacy in 2008. In July of that year, the band designed and sold a T-shirt featuring Obama's image above the words "Mr. November", a reference to both the closing track on the album and the month of the U.S. presidential election. All proceeds were donated to Obama's campaign. The song had been written, in part, about John Kerry's candidacy four years earlier.[3]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 82/100[4] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [5] |
Alternative Press | 4/5[6] |
Entertainment Weekly | A−[7] |
Mojo | [8] |
NME | 6/10[9] |
Pitchfork | 7.9/10[10] |
Q | [11] |
Rolling Stone | [12] |
Stylus Magazine | A−[13] |
Uncut | [14] |
All tracks are written by Matt Berninger and Aaron Dessner, except where noted
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Secret Meeting" (Berninger, A. Dessner, Scott Devendorf) | 3:44 |
2. | "Karen" (Berninger, Bryce Dessner) | 3:59 |
3. | "Lit Up" | 2:55 |
4. | "Looking for Astronauts" | 3:23 |
5. | "Daughters of the SoHo Riots" (Berninger, B. Dessner, S. Devendorf) | 3:59 |
6. | "Baby, We'll Be Fine" | 3:21 |
7. | "Friend of Mine" | 3:25 |
8. | "Val Jester" (Berninger, B. Dessner) | 3:00 |
9. | "All the Wine" (The National) | 3:15 |
10. | "Abel" | 3:37 |
11. | "The Geese of Beverly Road" (Berninger, A. Dessner, S. Devendorf) | 4:57 |
12. | "City Middle" (Berninger, B. Dessner) | 4:28 |
13. | "Mr. November" | 3:57 |
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "The Thrilling of Claire" | 4:32 |
2. | "Driver, Surprise Me" | 3:20 |
3. | "Lit Up" (Remix) | 3:00 |
4. | "Secret Meeting" (Remix) | 3:45 |
5. | "The Geese of Beverly Road" (Live) | 4:35 |
6. | "Abel" (Enhanced Video) | |
7. | "Lit Up" (Enhanced Video) | |
8. | "Daughters of the SoHo Riots" (Enhanced Video) |
The National
Additional musicians
Recording personnel
Artwork
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
United Kingdom (BPI)[15] | Silver | 60,000‡ |
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. |