Brooklyn-based rock group The National have a knack of writing songs that make melancholy sound an attractive proposition. Until this week I hadn't heard any of their music, despite good intentions to - drawn chiefly from the critical acclaim that their fourth album Boxer received last year. But, as I've written before, I'm convinced that some music isn't supposed to be encountered until a specific time or place in your life.

Slow Show illustrates their exemplary song-writing skills, not just in lead singer Matt Berninger's worn, dusty lyrics, but in the way the song is constructed. Merging acoustic and electric guitars better than most of their contemporaries, The National sculpt an atmospheric backdrop to join the simple strums that support this song of forlorn hopes and wasted opportunities. Bryan Devendorf's double time snare hits on the chorus are surprising but critical to the success of the song.

But the real magic comes at its close, when The National reel in and re-use the closing lyrics of 29 Years - taken from their debut album - accompanied by the same lonely piano style that adorns Emily Haines' Knives Don't Have Your Back. By doing so they extend the scope of Slow Show through what remains unsung, illustrating that in the six years between these two songs, nothing has changed.

And that makes it even sadder.

The National - Official Website
The National: Boxer - Amazon UK
The National: Boxer - iTunes UK