iGame Radio

Along with a slight change in the outfit of the character, Chell, for Portal 2, Valve is adding a new song. The National will be creating an original song for the sequel to the award-winning game due out the week of April 18.

The National can best be described as soul meets indie rock, and settles down in a nice home with 2.5 kids, then stares out the window wondering what it could have done. Their music focuses on the here and now of people you meet on the street, or maybe even you. The music for the first game, “Stay Alive” by Jonathan Coulton, was a crucial part of what made Portal so popular, according to Valve writer Chet Faliszek. “For Portal 2, we wanted to extend the use of music. When Bug Music mentioned to us that The National might be interested, we jumped at the opportunity to work with them.”

High Violet is The National’s most acclaimed and fastest-selling album to date. Released in May 2010, it debuted at #3 on the Billboard Top 200, and prompted the New York Times to claim “The National is in a league of its own.” The band has toured non-stop since the album’s release, with highlights that include sold out shows at Radio City Music Hall, Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, and mainstage performances at Bonnaroo, Sasquatch, and Lollapalooza.