Dom La Nena Covers The National’s “Start A War”

Dom La Nena by Larry Hirshowitz

Dom La Nena was only five years old when she began playing the cello.

Born in Brazil, she moved to Paris with her father while he received his doctorate. Upon moving back to South America, she found a mentor for her passion, who at the time was working in Argentina. She was allowed to study under the “Goddess of Cello” Christine Walevska, for several years in her newly adopted country.

Matt Berninger is the lead singer of The National. He’s from Cincinnati, OH and he’s the middle of three children. One of the sbilings– his younger brother Tom — is an amateur horror film director and lived with his parents up until recently. The story of their background is played out rather touchingly in a sort of rock -documentary about the two siblings which was directed by Tom called Mistaken For Strangers.

I point this out because of this simple but important fact about music — that it is and always will be, one of the greatest unifiers of the human condition.

These two artists could not have had a more different background yet there was something in Matt’s song “Start A War” that spoke to the creativity and aesthetic of Dom La Nena.

When you listen to her version, it probably sounds a lot like what Matt and co-writer Aaron Dessner had in their heads when they wrote it. A sweeping, delicate song full of passionate imagery.

Her whole Morning Becomes Eclectic session (her U.S. radio debut!) is filled with beautiful sounds and perfected instrumentation and I definitely recommend you check it out.

But for now, have a listen to Dom La Nena take on The National and realize that this is the point where two opposites attract. It’s a powerful thing.

Dom La Nena — “Start A War“ (The National cover)