Nervous energy borne of coffee and unfinished CC papers pervaded Lerner as the tech crews set up for Bacchanal's annual spring concert last night. Kids who arrived at 8 p.m. camped out near the white plastic barricade like they were at Webster Hall ca. 2003 waiting for the Get Up Kids, or maybe Interpol. In any case, they came, they clustered on the floor, they took out a laptop or two to maximize efficiency. WBAR jockeys spun the de rigueur ambient noise and obscure electronica, and the elite with green backstage passes perched near the merchandise table.

It didn't take much prying to determine that a lot of people at the show arrived sans knowledge of what they were in for, despite Bwog's best efforts to the contrary. And if they thought "indie rock" was in any way related to "rock and roll" apart from the implementation of the same instruments, the first swirls of Grizzly Bear's atmospheric noodling hopefully set them straight. But lukewarm crowd responses, ample chatter among the grad students in the back—including one prescient, tight-pantsed character who had slipped a Stella Artois into bone-dry Lerner—and bored-looking couples glued to the auditorium chairs all indicated a lack of rapport between band and crowd, give or take the clusters towards the front who hummed along to each four-part harmony.

This is part one of a two-part series introducing you to the acts performing at this year's Bacchanal.

Two separate sets of brothers make up four-fifths of The National. The fifth is lead singer Matt Berninger, whose odd, deep voice is probably the most distinctive quality of the band's brooding sound. Since hitting the scene in 1999, when the band left Ohio and came to Brooklyn to work day jobs, the National have been on a steady rise to prominence. Their first two albums are low-fi and a little muddled, and were released on the band's own label; three years ago, they moved to Beggars Banquet Records, where they made their two most recent (and most popular) albums. They're marked by simple instrumentals and lyrical prowess.

Since 2005, The National have been significantly more popular; their last two albums, "Alligator" and "Boxer," were staples on Best Of lists (including Bwog's own). Sufjan Stevens' horns and piano can be heard in the background of a song on their last record, and they'll be backing up REM on their tour this summer.

Listen ("Brainy" @ musicisart.ws)
Listen (a dozen acoustic tracks @ aquariumdrunkard.com)
Listen (three tracks @ daytrotter.com)

--ZvS