I'm really excited about 'Forever After Days' and 'Without Permission'. Two new songs are better than none. But the main attraction of course is 'A Skin, A Night'.

Im really looking forward to this, like everybody else. I guess this will be the only new stuff for '08

Beggars Group has a brief description of the content up now:

http://www.beggarsgroupusa.com/national/

I'm particularly curious about this... "5) WITHOUT PERMISSION (unreleased cover)" Is this a mistake, since they didn't label "Mansion On the Hill" as a cover or what? Just figured I'd toss a log into the fire.

I made a search on Google after a song called "Without Permission" and it gave me nothing useful. I really hope it's Beggars that have got it all wrong, and that it is in fact a new song.

And why is "You've Done It Again, Virginia" marked as previously unreleased? I'm 100% sure that I've bought it. Perhaps it is a new recording?

I'm hoping "Without Permission" is an original too, as much as I love their covers, nothing beats an original the National song!

In regards to "You've Done It Again, Virginia" it's gotta be the version mentioned HERE, at the bottom of the page...

Thanks, can't remember that I've read that one. It seems sensible that that's the one.

Woo! I just did my pre-order

NME.com just ran a story

http://www.nme.com/news/the-national/35764

but no mention of a UK release - and Beggars haven't updated the european website in ages!

Ha, the NME have never understood the National. I guess now they're big enough to have forced their way in.

Yeah, you're right. I love reading the NME, but it's mostly totally inbred, logrolling about the same 50 groups. Still, you'd think the National are fashion conscious enough to get their attention.

And now it's just the excruciating pain of having to wait for it.

There's an article on Planet Sound today:

A night with The National
The National release a DVD and CD package on June 2.

The DVD is A Skin, A Night, a film of the band making last year's Boxer album by French director Vincent Moon.

The CD, the 12-song Virginia EP, has new song You've Done It Again Virginia, a cover of Blind Zero's Without Permission, two B-Sides, four live songs and demos of Slow Show, Forever After Days, Tall Saint and Rest Years.

I've never heard of Blind Zero before, according to Wikipedia they are a Portuguese rock band and the song is actually called "Absent Without Permission"
Wikipedia
Official website
Myspace
Youtube video of Absent Without Permission

blind zero...

can someone tell me what "forever after days" is? is it a new song?

I think they played "Forever After Days" a couple of times during their 2007 shows. Someone on this board was able to grab a lyric sheet from the stage, if I remember correctly.

still searching for confirmation on this, but drownedinsound are listing the 26th of May as the UK release date (a monday..)

http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/13176