Superb debut from the National, a band that balances alternately tough and lilting pop-rock with brooding, novelistic lyrics by vocalist Matt Berninger. At this stage, the band was often compared to alt country acts like Wilco and the Jayhawks but that comparison doesn't really wash (live, the National jettison the acoustic guitars and have a much starker '80s post-punk sound). "The Perfect Song" actually lives up to its title and the rest of the album is almost as good.