After several under-the-radar releases (not to mention a slow-burning indie hit with 2005's Alligator), it seems the time is finally nigh for The National. Boxer should be the one to nestle these Ohio-by-way-of-Brooklyn boys firmly in your adoring bosom. Stark and dark are the main order of the day with singer Matt Berninger's rich delivery and poetic lyrics keeping an air of mystery as thick as the smoke from Humphery Bogart's cigarette. Boxer may be a bit more of an autumn disc than summer hit, but the good news is that you won't be sick of it by then so everything evens out.