Although they were formed in the 2000s, the band earned the top spot in Rolling Stone ‘ s “Reader’s Poll: The Best New Artist of 2011”.
Thank You, Happy Birthday , was officially released in January 2011. The album sold 39,000 copies during its first week in the U.S., debuting at Number 2 on the Billboard 200 , losing to the band Cake ‘s Showroom of Compassion . The album received positive reception from most critics…
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The album has also been successful commercially. In its first week of release, the album debuted at number one in the United Kingdom, selling over 82,000 units. Overall, the album sold 333,000 units. NME named the album cover, an artwork-free cream monochrome after the styling of the Beatles’ White Album…
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That year, Cage the Elephant and Manchester Orchestra embarked on a co-headlining tour with Sleeper Agent as the opening band.
The group’s audience expanded widely throughout 2011.
In 2011 the National was nominated for a Brit Award for International Breakthrough Act and an MTV Performing Woodie. Two of its songs, “Start a War” (from Boxer ) and “About Today”, were featured in the film Warrior . On March 9, 2011, the National released a music video for…
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Album of the Year at the 2011 Juno Awards
The magazine also named Thank You, Happy Birthday as the 15th best album of the year.
On April 20, 2011, the National played Starlight Theater in Kansas City, Missouri. During the show, the band played “About Today”, and dedicated the song in memory of Gerard Smith of TV on the Radio , who had died earlier that day of lung cancer. On December 8, 2011, the…
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Best International Album at the 2011 BRIT Awards