High Violet
High Violet is the fifth studio album by The National, which was released on May 10, 2010, in Europe and on May 11, 2010, in North America via 4AD.[1] The band produced the album themselves, assisted by Peter Katis with whom they worked on their previous albums Alligator and Boxer at their own studio in Brooklyn, New York, and at Katis' Tarquin Studios in Bridgeport, Connecticut.[2] The sculpture on the album cover was created by artist Mark Fox, and is called The Binding Force.[2][3]
This article is about the album. For the band, see The High Violets.High Violet
May 10, 2010
March 2009 – January 2010
- Aaron's Garage, Ditmas Park, Brooklyn, New York
- Tarquin Studios, Bridgeport, Connecticut
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The National
An expanded edition of High Violet was released through 4AD on November 22, 2010.[4][5] The reissue includes the standard 11-track album along with a new bonus disc, featuring the unreleased tracks "You Were a Kindness" and "Wake Up Your Saints" as well as alternate versions, B-sides, and live recordings.
Release[edit]
On March 10, 2010, they performed opening track "Terrible Love" on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, two months before the album's release.
The album's first single "Bloodbuzz Ohio" was made available for download on the band's website on March 24, 2010. The song was also released on 7" vinyl (with the exclusive B-side "Sin-Eaters") on May 3, 2010.[6]
On April 19, 2010, a low-quality version of the album was leaked onto the internet in its entirety which prompted the band to announce that the album would be streaming on The New York Times' website from April 23 until April 27,[7][8] then on NPR's website until May 11.[9]
On May 13, 2010, the band played "Afraid of Everyone" on the Late Show with David Letterman. Sufjan Stevens sang backup for them during this performance.
High Violet sold 51,000 copies in its first week of sales, charting at number three on the Billboard 200. This marked the National's highest charting effort at the time (beating Boxer, which debuted at number 68),[10] until the release of Sleep Well Beast in 2017, which debuted at number two.[11]
In May 2013, the band played High Violet track "Sorrow" 105 times in a row at an art installation in New York, in a performance lasting six hours.[12] This durational performance was released as a special vinyl-only box set entitled A Lot of Sorrow by 4AD in June 2015.[13]
In June 2020, the expanded edition of High Violet was released on vinyl for the first time as the 10th Anniversary Expanded Edition.[14]
Chart history[edit]
The album debuted at number three on the US Billboard and also debuted in Canada at number two, in Portugal at number three, and in Germany at number 10.[10][37][38] High Violet was certified gold in Canada, Denmark, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. In 2011 it was awarded a diamond certification from the Independent Music Companies Association,[39] which indicated sales of at least 200,000 copies throughout Europe.
A number of tracks from the album have featured variously throughout popular culture.
The National
Additional musicians