Serpentine Prison CD

Matt Berninger steps out from the National for his first solo record, and he hands the control room to Booker T. Jones, who produces the whole thing start to finish. The two even launched a label together, Book Records, just to get it out. Jones carries decades of studio work behind him, from Otis Redding sessions to Neil Young, and that weight presses against Berninger's baritone instead of chasing the bigger, louder pull of his main band.