El Vy (press material on the band helpfully indicate it's pronounced like "hell pie" or a plural form of Elvis) is a collaboration between Matt Berninger of The National, and Portland-based Brent Knopf, formerly of Menomena and now in Ramona Falls. The two met about ten years ago when their respective bands were touring together. Since then, musician/producer Knopf had occasionally been sending Berninger musical ideas, and Berninger had been writing lyrics with this project in mind. The songs are more autobiographical than his material for The National, and Berninger's distinctive baritone voice is mixed with music that sounds lighter than the typical National song.