The National recently contributed "Exile, Vilify" to the soundtrack for the upcoming video game Portal 2. In conjunction with it's release, the band also held a contest for fan-made videos. The winning clip (above) comes from director C.F. Meister. The song is engaging, beautiful, haunting, and somber (what else would you expect from The National) featuring an endearing string line with building complexity. In the video clip, you follow the saddest hand puppet you've ever seen in your life. This ain't The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, or Sesame Street. Get ready to possibly shed a tear.
Standing at the punch table swallowing punch
can’t pay attention to the sound of anyone
a little more stupid, a little more scared
every minute more unprepared
I made a mistake in my life today
everything I love gets lost in drawers
I want to start over, I want to be winning
way out of sync from the beginning
I wanna hurry home to you
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
god I’m very, very frightening
I’ll overdo it
Looking for somewhere to stand and stay
I leaned on the wall and the wall leaned away
Can I get a minute of not being nervous
and not thinking of my dick
My leg is sparkles, my leg is pins
I better get my shit together, better gather my shit in
You could drive a car through my head in five minutes
from one side of it to the other
I wanna hurry home to you
put on a slow, dumb show for you
and crack you up
so you can put a blue ribbon on my brain
god I’m very, very frightening
I’ll overdo it
You know I dreamed about you
for twenty-nine years before I saw you
You know I dreamed about you
I missed you for
for twenty-nine years
You know I dreamed about you
for twenty-nine years before I saw you
You know I dreamed about you
I missed you for
for twenty-nine years
-------------------------------
Crisp cool air. Cloudless skies. Clear nights. Fall is finally coming. I adore this time of the year. I also love the music it inspires me to listen to. I'm definitely going into an acoustic/indie/folk/flok rock phase right now. Time to blow the dust off the ol' records and give those summer beats a little reprieve.
