Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers
2003 studio album by The National
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Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers is the second studio album by indie rock band the National. It was released in 2003 on Brassland Records. This is the first album on which the band worked with Peter Katis, who would produce the band's next albums Alligator and Boxer.
- Excello (Brooklyn, NY)
- Additional recording:
- Gretchen's Kitchen (Brooklyn, NY)
- Headgear (Brooklyn, NY)
- Puck Building (New York, NY)
- Two locales in New Haven, CT
- Bryan Devendorf's basement (Brooklyn, NY)
| Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers | ||||
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| Released | September 2, 2003 | |||
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| Length | 44:54 | |||
| Label | Brassland | |||
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| The National chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Sad Songs for Dirty Lovers | ||||
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The album is the first to feature guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Bryce Dessner (the twin brother of Aaron Dessner) as a full member, making it the first album to be featured as a five-piece band.
Reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 78/100[2] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [3] |
| Alternative Press | 4/5[4] |
| Drowned in Sound | 9/10[5] |
| Pitchfork | 8.4/10[6] |
| Q | [7] |
| Rolling Stone | [8] |
| Uncut | [9] |
The album received very positive reviews from music critics, earning a Metacritic aggregate score of 78 based on 13 reviews, indicating 'generally positive reviews'.[2]
As of 2010 the album has sold an approximate 27,000 copies in the US.[10] The album was one of three early records that the band reissued remastered versions of in 2021.[11]
Track listing
All songs are credited to the National. Actual songwriters are adapted from Tidal.[12]
All lyrics are written by Matt Berninger.
| No. | Title | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Cardinal Song" | Aaron Dessner, Bryce Dessner, Bryan Devendorf, Scott Devendorf | 6:18 |
| 2. | "Slipping Husband" | A. Dessner, B. Dessner, B. Devendorf, S. Devendorf | 3:22 |
| 3. | "90-Mile Water Wall" | A. Dessner | 3:44 |
| 4. | "It Never Happened" | A. Dessner, B. Dessner, B. Devendorf, S. Devendorf | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Murder Me Rachael" | A. Dessner, B. Dessner, B. Devendorf, S. Devendorf | 3:45 |
| 6. | "Thirsty" | B. Dessner | 3:48 |
| 7. | "Available" | A. Dessner | 3:20 |
| 8. | "Sugar Wife" | A. Dessner | 2:21 |
| 9. | "Trophy Wife" | A. Dessner | 3:32 |
| 10. | "Fashion Coat" | A. Dessner | 2:02 |
| 11. | "Patterns of Fairytales" | S. Devendorf | 3:43 |
| 12. | "Lucky You" | A. Dessner | 4:22 |
Personnel
The National
Additional musicians
- Padma Newsome – viola, violin
- Nick Lloyd – piano, keyboards
- Luke Hughett – vocals (on "Thirsty")
- Nate Martinez – guitar (on "Cardinal Song")
- Steve LoPresti – French horn, mellophone (on "Sugar Wife")
Technical personnel
- Nick Lloyd – production, additional recording
- Paul Heck – co-production, production (on "Murder Me Rachael")
- Peter Katis – co-production, production (on "Murder Me Rachael"), recording (on "Murder Me Rachael"), engineering (on "Murder Me Rachael"), mixing
- Hugh Pool – basic track recording
- Dan Long – additional recording
- John Loder – mastering
- Padma Newsome – orchestration
- Distant Station – design
Weekly charts
| Chart (2021) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Scottish Albums (OCC)[13] | 45 |