At the center of every album is a musical thesis. The National's "Alligator is an emotional haul. With songs focused on American manhood, this album asks us to get in touch with a side of ourselves often ignored. For most of us men, this often means focusing on our glory days. We look back with longing and remember fondly how much better things used to be. Here, The National isn't asking us to look backward, rather, they are demanding we assess ourselves in the present moment. Most of us rarely do this. We rarely live in the moment fully realizing its sublime potential. Never before have I encountered an album or band that has demanded this much. For me, that's a good thing. 

Be good to each other, 

-Nathan