{"id":6267,"date":"2026-10-12T17:45:39","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T21:45:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/?p=6267"},"modified":"2026-10-12T17:45:41","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T21:45:41","slug":"3-songs-that-show-how-the-nationals-aaron-dessner-changed-the-sound-of-modern-pop-music","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/3-songs-that-show-how-the-nationals-aaron-dessner-changed-the-sound-of-modern-pop-music\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Songs That Show How The National\u2019s Aaron Dessner Changed the Sound of Modern Pop Music"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2020, few would have predicted how The National\u2019s Aaron Dessner would someday transform the sound of modern pop music. But since 2001, Dessner\u2019s band, often affectionately labeled Dad Rock, has steadily nurtured its fanbase with literate post-punk like the clever offspring of R.E.M. and Nick Cave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And <a href=\"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/taylor-swift-and-matt-berninger-search-for-reconnection-in-the-alcott-by-the-national\/\">one of the band\u2019s fans<\/a> just happens to be the biggest pop star on the planet. So that\u2019s where this list begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cCardigan\u201d by Taylor Swift<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Taylor Swift - cardigan\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/K-a8s8OLBSE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As the world navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, Dessner sent Taylor Swift instrumental snippets. She quickly sent back voice memos, turning his musical scribblings into complete songs. Soon a new album, <em>Folklore<\/em>, materialized. And Dessner\u2019s cabin-in-the-woods folk (co-produced by Jack Antonoff) evolved into a North Star for modern pop music. Instead of taut, overproduced recordings, Dessner\u2019s compositional hand\u2014soothing, warm, minimalist\u2014felt human in an age of tinkered-with computer recordings\u2014the perfect companion for Swift\u2019s vivid and myth-like confessionals.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>And when I felt like I was an old cardigan,<br>Under someone\u2019s bed.<br>You put me on and said I was your favorite<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cEnd Of August\u201d by Noah Kahan<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Noah Kahan - End of August (Official Lyric Video)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/X2ImEvbY6qY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Noah Kahan, perhaps a byproduct of <em>Folklore<\/em>, released his breakout album, <em>Stick Season<\/em>, in 2022. For the follow-up, he worked with Dessner at the producer\u2019s Long Pond Studio in the Hudson Valley. A woodsy and serene place that looks like this music sounds. \u201cEnd Of August\u201d opens Kahan\u2019s latest, <em>The Great Divide<\/em>. It looks back on how things change even though they often feel like they don\u2019t. When Dessner wants to recall this kind of hazy nostalgia, he typically finds the right chords\u2014both searching and familiar\u2014on his Yamaha upright piano.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>\u201cUs\u201d by Gracie Abrams (Featuring Taylor Swift)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Gracie Abrams - us. (feat. Taylor Swift) [Official Lyric Video]\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7IcYAGAm6P8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Gracie Abrams and Dessner had worked together on Abrams\u2019s debut LP, <em>Good Riddance<\/em>. Then, on <em>The Secret Of Us<\/em>, we hear songs echoing Dessner and Swift\u2019s earthy folk. But you also notice the indie meditations of Sufjan Stevens, Sigur R\u00f3s, Bon Iver, and others. The vibe is emotional and natural, with dashes of glitching electronica. It can sound like home, or like some faraway place you\u2019ve never seen. It\u2019s part dream, part lore, part past. And the overarching production sentiment is eternally gentle. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Photo by Joy Malone\/Getty Images<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2020, few would have predicted how The National\u2019s Aaron Dessner would someday transform the sound of modern pop music. But since 2001, Dessner\u2019s band, often affectionately labeled Dad Rock, has steadily nurtured its fanbase with literate post-punk like the clever offspring of R.E.M. and Nick Cave. And one of the band\u2019s fans just happens [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":973477,"featured_media":6269,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":316,"post_id":2139}}]},"savage_platform_role_ideator":[],"savage_platform_role_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_senior_editor":[],"savage_platform_role_photographer":[],"savage_platform_role_illustrator":[],"savage_platform_role_translator":[],"savage_platform_role_as-told-to":[],"savage_platform_role_reviewed-by":[],"savage_platform_disable_recirculation":false,"savage_platform_article_type":"news","savage_platform_vice_article_type":"article","savage_platform_article_intent":"","savage_platform_show_affiliate_disclaimer":false,"savage_platform_markdown_available":false,"savage_platform_markdown_version":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"savage_platform_featured_image_caption":"","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"savage_platform_subheadline":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[563,428,36],"byline":[316],"class_list":["post-6267","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lists","tag-aaron-dessner","tag-indie-folk","tag-pop-music"],"savage_platform_primary_term":{"category":{"term_name":"Lists","term_id":14,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/category\/lists\/"},"post_tag":{"term_name":"Aaron Dessner","term_id":563,"term_link":"https:\/\/www.songfacts.com\/articles\/tag\/aaron-dessner\/"}},"hide_from_homepage":false,"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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