However, until then, frontman Matt Berninger’s side-project EL VY with former Menomena frontman and current Ramona Falls member Brent Knopf will tide everyone over.
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As the lyricist and singer of the National, Matt Berninger isn’t exactly known for his wit. EL VY succeed in telling the stories of true characters on Return To The Moon, using inventive beats and fresh indie rock structures to make their tales connect. “A universe in which Mike Watt and the late D. Boon of Minutemen are every bit as iconic as Mick and Keith, and a teenager’s sense of rebellion is fed by the dark social politics of middle America”. For fans of the National, it’s a welcome return. This, though, is one of the few times any of the songs off of Return To The Moon has that kind of sound. On “Paul is Alive”, Berninger tells a nostalgic coming-of-age tale about the Jockey Club, the long-defunct Cincinnati-area punk venue.
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Elsewhere, things get markedly more sexual than Berninger has flirted with in the past; perhaps he was inspired by the hip-pushing sonic beds that Knopf provides (via email, which is largely how Moon came together). An interesting, but right sounding mix of southern rock and a synthesizer shows up in “Happiness, Missouri”.
