THE national: a skin, a night

The National are mainly seen in the recording studio, where we hear vocals being recorded, or in one sequence the camera pokes its head up from the floor between the band as they lay down handclaps. Occasionally members of the group talk to the camera about the album’s recording and the odd snippet of an interesting fact is revealed, but largely ‘A Skin, A Night’ comes over as a student project that just happens to capture a band at a vital moment in their career. It’s all a wasted opportunity that offers little further understanding of the band. Far more worthwhile in this package is the bonus Virginia EP. This 12 track disc offers live and demo versions of some of the songs that appeared on ‘Boxer’, as well as covers and radio sessions. ‘Blank Slate’ is the standout track, capable of standing alongside their best work. A radio session version of ‘Lucky You’ and the beautiful live version of ‘Fake Empire’ simply illustrate that there is much to recommend this band, even if you can’t say the same for the film.