The National return in particularly morose form (that’s a good thing) on “Lean,” the Brooklyn band’s contribution to The Hunger Games: Catching Fire soundtrack. The 15-song set is rounded out by a broad range of artists including the Lumineers, Christina Aguilera, Patti Smith, and Mikky Ekko. We’ve already heard original contributions from Coldplay (“Atlas”) and Sia with Diplo and the Weeknd (“Elastic Heart”), and the National’s latest post-Trouble Will Find Me offering is strikingly unlike either, finding Matt Berninger doing his deep-voiced dad-rock thing over paced piano and bent guitar strings. Catching Fire hits theaters on November 22 — star Josh Hutcherson will be hosting Saturday Night Live when SPIN cover stars Haim perform — and the soundtrack arrives November 19. The last one debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
