Some of the most successful bands, and I’m not necessarily talking commercially, releasing music now are the ones that are able to keep up with their peers and are prescient of particular sounds and how these sounds are assimilated within the music community to which they belong. Local Natives seem to have a firm grip and awareness of what any random indie fan is going to like and dislike. That’s not to say that they pander to any common denominator, only that their tastes and creative influences are proudly worn. From the indie staples of percussive drum work and swelling vocal harmonies to their cover of a Talking Heads song, Local Natives are able to invert the expectations of those listeners who have an inherent knowledge of what constitutes, or what might constitute an indie song, and create something that goes beyond any superficial labels or typecasting. Some of these songs have been floating around the internet since last year and have gained quite a following and expectations were high regarding a proposed debut full-length. Songs like the slow-burning opener “Wide Eyes” or the clattering percussive chants of “Sun Hands” render any preconceived notions of what kind of music Local Natives make useless. This album is a melting pot of ideas and influences, most of them easily recognizable, but it’s the way with which they use these so familiar indie adages that make Gorilla Manor so instantly likeable and so likely to merit repeated listens. By keeping a tab on what’s been popular and successful in music in the past few years, Local Natives have created an album brimming with unique takes on well-worn ideas and bring about a refreshingly joyous integration of all these musical conceptions.
Tracklisting:
01. Wide Eyes
02. Airplanes
03. Sun Hands (listen to the mp3 below)
04. World News
05. Shape Shifter
06. Camera Talk
07. Cards And Quarters
08. Warning Sign
09. Who Knows Who Cares
10. Cubism Dream
11. Stranger Things
12. Sticky Thread
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