Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (2010)

(Indie Rock, Freak Folk)


I had friends and family over this past weekend and it's been a great time; for me, and for them.  Like I've mentioned, we went record shopping and such.  This particular album, though, was just introduced to me.  It is Local Natives debut album, Gorilla Manor.  If it wasn't introduced to me by one of my friends, I probably would have let this album float down the stream and into the ocean of unheard items I will never listen to.  But it was, and I am oh so grateful for it.  I fell in love immediately.  The tunes, different as they are (freak folk style), melt effortlessly into your mind, and you'll find that you'll be humming them in your head at the most mundane of times, wishing they were playing.  This is an instant indie classic, for all (cultured) audiences out there, and any occasion, be it on the road, at a party, or to put you to sleep.  It's amazing.  As bands from the West Coast go, I usually don't find myself too amused by artists coming out of the Los Angeles region too often, but this is most certainly an exception.  I just find that many LA bands copy each others sound way too often and there's no originality, whereas I believe most of the good indie/underground scenes come out of the East Coast area.  I am very glad to have given this a listen.  Some of the few highlights you'll find are tracks 1, 2, 4, and 5: Wide Eyes, Airplanes, World News, Shape Shifter.  Not that the rest of the album isn't highlightable, because it ALL is.  It's a wonderful album, but these few songs just catch me by surprise and take me to that fortress of solitude where I can ponder EVERYTHING.  World News in particular is my favorite on the record.  It feels, to me, like their take on A Day in the Life.  Completely different song, but it gives you a glimpse of how they as people perceive the world, just as the Beatles did in their song.  It is equally as depressing and reminiscent as it is playful and new.  Genius.  The whole thing. 9.5/10

Take a listen to World News, and tell me it isn't a beautiful thing:

Buy CD: Gorilla Manor Buy Vinyl: Gorilla Manor (For all you daring souls switching back to it)

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