Formed in Brooklyn, New York, via Cincinnati, Ohio, The National have taken an equally oblique route to success. Twelve years into a career where every strand of recognition has been painstakingly hard-earned, The National's exquisite melancholy has resonated long enough to transform any cult-status concerns into credible chart contentions.

Bassist Scott Devendorf acknowledges as much. Pleasant and softly spoken, he speaks with the air of a man still trying to comprehend his band's ever-growing "upward trajectory." As if to emphasize the changing status, The National will make their first ever trip to Japan this month.

"I've never been," Devendorf says with surprise. "We've never played a single show. We're very excited. We have one show in Tokyo, and we can't wait. We hear that it is such a cultural place, one of the most unique places on earth. I hope it lives up to my expectations"