Local Natives - Hummingbird (2013)

1/30/13 4:15PM


it's supposed to be streamable here for the next 2 weeks. FTR, i am digging it, but I have not been able to listen to it more than a couple of times yet. It's a different kind of record, but I still enjoy something about nearly every track.

And of course, the hordes of hipster/bloggers comments and reviews are nauseating, between the comparisons to The National and especially the 'West Coast Grizzly Bear" garbage. But that is nothing new. Nor is the lack of anything about close to the p-word or even chamber rock.

Blech, hopefully, a more detailed review will come soon. back issues, other albums., and time have been what has backed me up so far. But I do have it as the 2nd best release of 2013 already.

1/23/13 5:37PM
It's just a stream, I'm luke warm about hearing that. More dreamy and less energetic, but until hearing it with headphones, the jury is still out.

full album on youtube deleted

12/6/12 9:35AM

New official Video for Breakers




11/25/12 11:23PM -12/6/12 9:35AM 

Track list.
01 You & I
02 Heavy Feet
03 Ceilings
04 Black Spot
05 Breakers
06 Three Months
07 Black Balloons
08 Wooly Mammoth
09 Mt. Washington
10 Colombia
11 Bowery





10/19/12 12:02PM
This 2nd album is coming January 29th. Also there are tour dates and a single below to stream (as linked on their site).

http://www.thelocalnatives.com/

 


    Sun NOV 4 / Tokyo, Japan / Zepp
    Wed NOV 28 / Hamburg, Germany / Molotov
    Thu NOV 29 / Berlin, Germany / Comet
    Sat DEC 1 / Paris, France / Point Ephemere
    Tue DEC 4 / Amsterdam, Holland / Bitterzoet
    Wed DEC 5 / Brussels, Belgium / Rotunde
    Thu DEC 6 / London, UK / Hoxton Bar & Kitchen
    Sat DEC 8 / Camber Sands, England / All Tomorrow’s Parties
    Tue JAN 29 / Los Angeles, CA / El Rey
    Wed JAN 30 / Oakland, CA / Fox Theatre
    Fri FEB 01 / Brooklyn, NY / Music Hall of Williamsburg
    Sat FEB 02-03 / New York , NY / Bowery Ballroom
    Mon MAR 18 / Nashville, TN / Marathon Music Works
    Tue MAR 19 / Asheville, NC / Orange Peel
    Fri MAR 22 / Milwaukee, WI / Turner Ballroom
    Sat MAR 23 / Minneapolis, MN / First Avenue
    Mon MAR 25 / Covington,KY / Madison Theatre
    Tue MAR 26 / Columbus, OH / Newport Music Hall
    Sat MAR 30 / Boston, MA / House of Blues
    Sun APR 01 / Providence, RI / Fete
    Thu APR 04 / Philadelphia, PA / Union Transfer
    Fri APR 05 / Washington DC / 9:30 club
    Thu APR 25 / Portland, OR / Crystal Ballroom
    Fri APR 26 / Seattle, WA / Neptune
    Sat APR 27 / Vancouver, BC / Commodore Theatre

I haven't heard the new single of course. The band made a special appearance at CMJ a few nights ago as well.

Fuck Fuck Fuck..Its stuff like this that comes out so damn quickly and I'm slow. Why this blog, if I were smart, would die. But I'm not smart of course, and I'm also only by the band known to be 1 of their longest time fans outside of their hometown.

But I have got to say, even before hearing the 1st single and album, I hope/almost expect, despite the fact they worked with someone from The National (who I think are hipster drivel), that this record not only will be awesome, but vastly superior to all the other hipster garbage that's come since Gorilla Manor ala Fleet Kittens, Grizzly Cub, Yeasayer, Arcade Fire, Beach House, Sleigh Bells, Mumford and Sons, Tame Impala, Tune Yards, Animal Collective/Panda Bear and related crap, and many others I'm not even remembering right now.

Fleet Kittens - Helplessness Blues (2011) (1.0)

Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues by subpop

Well Well Well. The band, who early in 2008, released an EP I liked Sun Giant and reminded me of my beloved (and almost entirely unknown) Cavil at Rest, and then went on to release their self-titled full-length record a few months later and became the hipster-est of all hipster bands in a few short months. And I went on to realize the album had 1 or 2 good songs on it, with the rest basically using the exact same idea, on every song.

Okay, fine. But of course the praise I never felt was deserved. But that's the way the Hipfork machine works, right? as I came to learn. And Cavil at Rest went on to become even less like this band, even with their name change to Local Natives and their debut album in late 2009 Gorilla Manor.

That all being said, the Fleet Kittens, could be worthy of their real name (or better) if they would evolve and change their style, even the slightest amount. First off, on Sun Giant they had drums and more electric guitar, than on the lp that followed. They need to do more of that.

But they also need to get away from the same formula of Accapella Folk Music with a bit of acoustic guitar. Change it. Add piano, horns, tom drums, xylophone, even a fucking FEMALE SINGER might help. Just stop writing music as a bloody one-trick-pony as their debut album is/was.

And this new song of theirs, after hearing it once, really doesn't sound much different. 5+ minutes in, there finally is a little bit of drum work and electric guitar. But it's so stripped down and in the background, it may as well not even be there.

Maybe they need a different producer or something. Get Rick Rubin or David Botrill to have them use more loudness, more range, more color. ANYTHING frankly. Get them to show some fucking balls! lol.

But basically, I will check this record out, and if it's basically Fleet Kittens Part 2.0. It's sayonara to this band. But by some miracle they do something new and different, I'll be at least close to back where I was after enjoying Sun Giant.

Eating Crow? no. The mere fact I'm even giving them mention and actually going to listen to this album, more or less doesn't warrant that at this point. The sad thing is, they could be good, if they modified and evolved their sound enough. Could they be even close to as good as Local Natives? fat chance. But unlike some of the other Hipfork groups (Vampire Weekend, Yeasayer), I suppose they at least could climb out of the style-with-no-substance category with the right changes.

I guess we'll find out on May 3rd (or around that time).

Local Natives =/= Fleet Kittens WILL IT EVER END?

rollingstone.com review



I may just come to expect it every fucking time. I mean there ya go, more or less PROOF of the naivete of the hipster.

But while Fleet Foxes gravitate towards more rootsy, Crosby, Stills and Nash-style harmonics, Local Natives draw on the Talking Heads’ brand of Afro-pop (Gorilla Manor actually features a cover of Talking Heads’ “Warning Sign”).

uhh, Local Natives are influenced by CSN&Y. As much if not MORE than FFs.

One of the 1st interviews I saw with Cavil at Rest they MENTIONED Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Buddy, what fucking color is the sky in your world?

Not to mention the video there is a verbatim read of what is written (or transcribed?) in print. Also the guy sounds rather nervous and rushed as he's talking; which honestly makes him sound quite insincere and SCRIPTED.

But it's Rolling-Shit, basically the grandfather to Pukefork, and father to eMpTv. But the pathetic thing is, far too many people will see/read this and immediately think Local Natives are just like Fleet Foxes.



=/= but >

by the way, the bonus DVD on the UK Edition from 2009 of Gorilla Manor is pretty boss. 6 tracks, acoustic, shot in various sites on tour. Some outdoors, some indoors. Some B&W.

Camera Talk
Airplanes
Cards & Quarters
Warning Sign
World News
Stranger Things

Some of it may surface on yewtewb and maybe I'll post it in here.