WHO: Graphic design school drop-outs Matt Beringer (vox) and Scott Devendorf (bass) recruited Devendorf's brother Scott, plus fellow Ohio natives (and twin brothers) Aaron and Bryce Dessner to play music together after relocating separately from Cincinnati to Brooklyn in 1999. The fivesome started recording tunes on a lark, crafting orchestral anthems that drew sonic inspiration from Guided By Voices, The Smiths, the Replacements and Violent Femmes. Eight years and four albums later, the quintet has arrived, first with the release of 2005's Alligator, an indie-rock blockbuster that sold more than 60K, and this month with the critically loved The Boxer -- a strings-bolstered collection of epic blue-collar yarns.

HEAR IT NOW: Feast your ears on boozy ballads like "Fake Empire" and "Mistaken For Strangers" on their Myspace page.

WATCH IT: Check out the men of the National as they try their luck betting on a winning horse at New York's Belmont racetrack.