The National - Fake Empire

[easyguitarfrankfurt]

Wow!! Im impressed, this clip is nearly as good as the studio version!! Great voice, and I absolutely looooove the guitar!!!

But what the hell is wrong with these people?!?! They are destroying the whole atmosphere!!! Way too loud; are they crazy or something???

[bleach6bleach]

man that was awesome, replacing the trumpet with another guitar

[peanutismint]

Loud audience.

Some people need to be more comfortable with silence/quiet music - you dont need to fill every single second with whooping/clapping.

[BraddyBoyBraddyBoy]

Best band ever and great vid!

[gekkomatic]

Music for prats!

[Fiatluxify]

One again, drums are so amazing... Love it !

[escalade4]

Stay out super late tonight

picking apples, making pies

put a little something in our lemonade and take it with us

were half-awake in a fake empire

were half-awake in a fake empire

[TheGossipGirlSource]

Cabaret juste pour rire? Sort of like, in Montreal, two steps from my home? WTF wasn't I there?

[tannersanta]

Turn the light out say goodnight

no thinking for a little while

lets not try to figure out everything at once

Its hard to keep track of you falling through the sky

were half-awake in a fake empire

were half-awake in a fake empire

[lowfiyears]

Amazing band!!!

[STEVEOSU13]

Although this is good, I enjoy the studio recorded version better. When the trumpets kick in towards the end, pretty sweet.

[crimson1986]

This is a great song, but it's fucking annoying when people talk and are noisy during this kind of gig. Why won't they just shut the fuck up and listen to the music?

[blondesailorri]

Saw them front row live and he dedicated it to me and threw me his lyric sheet at the Comcast center in MA...it was incredibly fucking awesome...it just made me feel wonderful

[XanderLander100]

I SAW THEM LIVE IN NY CTY THEY WERE GR8

[WilcoStar]

he just... walked off stage?

[fanneemagnet]

Reminds me of early joy division ! RIP IAN CURTIS ! It definately has no similarity to coldplay ! they have no soul !!!

[mcrismybang]

god thats amazing. btw im going to see them this summer yay

[simon1jm]

song sounds simple but the timing is actually very difficult... pretty tough when you try to play it w/ a trio. makes it that much better tho

[chadrolfes]

i was in a lulu

[failkhoo]

F*** who they sound like; I haven't heard a band this original and consistently brilliant since - well never really. Go on the lads!

[imbongg]

i agree with the velvet underground sound though the vocals sound more like johnny cash.

[atw8993]

I personally think the vocals sound like that guy from, "The National"

[brandonian13]

are you serious?

[dontstopbelievin2]

lol!

[beeenoooiiit]

what an idiot...

[atw8993]

I really hope you caught my sarcasm... I obviously know that this guy is from "The National", why would I be watching a video without knowing who it was?

[BENebuchadnezzar]

I find it funny you have to reinforce that fact

[BugEyes85]

why not?

[basselope]

@atw8993 You need to look up the word "sarcasm". You tried to make a joke...it didn't work. Get off the stage now, k thx bi.

[atw8993]

OH SHIT! I GOT BURNED BRO!

[NYNYMatt]

They also sound alot like Velvet Underground, Joy Division, and a touch of Jim Morrison.

[MrSuzen]

i love it

[byronicflare]

wow, i love the Tindersticks!

[anajouse]

LOL!!!!!

[buggerit2]

simple but great

[eljammal1986]

I love this song soo much.

[koridatz]

who doesn't? it's a sin to hate this band

[kaarultjuh111]

Where to get zhe piano sheets? Been looking for them but nowhere to find, (or chords, though i'd be happier with sheets)

[flowstill]

The chords are C, F, G, G repeat. Than the chorus "half awake... Am, F, G, G. Pretty simple. Sounds good on guitar too.

[uwflaod]

great...

[54spiritedwill54]

amazing

[hendrixfan143]

i don't know what everybody sees in this song. It's not bad but it's not good

[Ironmaus]

It's rare to have complex rhythms like this in pop or rock music. It also reminds people of the best parts of so many other bands. It's like a supremely good mashup of U2, Coldplay, and Tears for Fears. It's definitely a standout on the record.

[britestube]

I wouldn´t compare them to u2,coldplay and tears for fears. they sound much more like NICK CAVE AND THE BAD SEEDS,and LEONARD COHEN.

[misterchill]

throw Interpol in there somewhere.

[djostreet2]

yeah theres definitely a bit of interpol, especially in "mistaken for strangers"

[osossonbuenos]

i don't really think the appeal is possible to convey to someone who doesn't like it. the national is a bit of an acquired taste, they're a bit slow on the surface, but there's something amazing under that.

[Foenixir]

sounds just like the record, great!!!!!

[k3nishii]

...the best "national" song ever... i love it so much...

[Pigelin]

dude TUNE!

[acidpapper]

great song

[wout112]

Had je kaartje best willen kopen ;)

[drivel1]

bliss

[ItalianCarbine]

mind blowing

[niceparabola]

Yeahhh the way they combine everything together is just incredible. And the drums are always wow inducing. I would really love to see them live. They sound awesome.

-Alie

[audiohhh]

I think piano player was gacked up at this show. He was flyin through the intro

[mjakubi]

have you every seen then live? no one is 'gacked up on anything'

[peacefrogekl]

dude....not gacked. These guys are incredible musicians. I've been playing piano for years (YEARS) and some of the syncopation they do is terribly difficult.

[valjester805]

Good acknowledgment of their talent. Great band.

[brandonwalsh00]

it just sounds that way because the piano is in a different time as the rest of the song. the piano is in 4/4 and the rest of the song is in 3/4.

[petahhayes]

its in 6/8!!

[Chalochepe]

i love this song,, haha his voice in this song sounds like Barry White

[anke66]

Super!

I have seen them live,,

And they are great! x

[jflex]

I wonder if the song was written in 4/4 or 3/4. I'd imagine it was written in 4/4 since that's the piano part. It's quite a remarkable thing to pull off so successfully and relatively seamlessly. The only other example that comes to mind is Radiohead's Let Down, which has a 5/4 line on top of a 4/4 song.

[soccerjunkie7]

technically on the piano part one hand is playing a 3/4 and the other is playing a 4/4. yeah i see the radiohead comparison here.

[Cjur]

Jesus christ.. Just tried banging one foot in tune with the piano and another in tune with the drums. I couldn't do it...

[mrblack298]

This song is sooooo fun to play. You just have to get the 3 vs. 4 thing down and you're golden.

[odelay17]

love the piano... if you wanna hear chaotic piano, thats the bad plus

[derbydog07]

That is ridiculous piano.

[gabeutsecks]

it's playing in a different time signature (4/4) than the rest of the instruments (which are in 3/4), but the first beat in both rhythms match. It's called a polyrhythm. I personally love them, as do most percussionist, but a lot of people just think they sound chaotic, which is usually the point.

[derbydog07]

When I said ridiculous, I mean I envy it. I play piano, but I can't do syncopation. I've tried really hard, but I cant.

[irvingkat]

amazing

[ryantheduke]

i hate you x 1000