The Local Natives.
I came across The Local Natives thanks to a
friend of mine who has, in my opinion, an unparalleled taste in music, a
serious ear for good music, a right “squiggly” fucker.
The name of the Local Native’s second EP is
called ‘Hummingbird’. The band wrote and produced most of it while in Brooklyn,
New York. This came about when the band met Aaron Dessner while on tour with his band, The National. He asked if he could
produce their next album. Drummer
Matt Frazier noted, "One night, after maybe drinking a little bit too
much, he was like, 'Maybe I should work with you guys.' We were like, 'Sure,
buddy.' After meeting with all these other producers, it just seemed like we
should work with somebody we really get along with and respect as a
songwriter." So, the band relocated to Dessner's home in – that’s right –
Brooklyn, NYC.
Vocalist and keyboardist
Kelcey Ayer, said of the time in Brooklyn, "It was awesome because we
stayed upstairs on the two top floors, and he and his family are downstairs,
and the studio is in the back. It's this really tiny space, but it was so
convenient to us."
Happy families…
OK, enough of that. Back
to the music itself.
Hummingbird was bound to
be different to their debut album, Gorilla Manor. Not only did they have
Dessner involved, but they were also dealing with the departure of band member
and bassist, Andy Hamm, which the band have described as “heartbreaking” in
interviews.
It is a refreshing mix
of bare-faced emotion - that even the most “feelings? Ugh” types couldn’t argue
with - and upbeat loveliness that makes you smile and head/toe bop to.
‘Heavy Feet’ has a
really nice flow to it. It has made its way onto my running playlist.
The first time I heard
‘Breakers’, it wasn’t the album version, it was a live acoustic recording of it
on the bank of some river in Paris. I have to admit, in classic Becca style, I
prefer the acoustic version, but either way the song is good. Very good.
Bowery is the last track
on the album. I remember when I was younger – a lot younger – I used to find
that the last few tracks on albums were always rubbish. I soon realised I was
listening to the wrong albums. This track is a perfect finisher, that makes me
want to play the album from the start, all over again.
I have two favourite
tracks on this album. One is ‘Columbia’ (track no. 10). This was written after
the death of Ayer's mother in 2011, and therefore is unsurprisingly dark. The lyrics
are raw and beautiful, matched perfectly by the unrelenting emotion in Ayer’s
voice. He even name-checks her in its closing moments.
My other favourite track
is ‘You & I’. In fact, it is probably my favourite track by the band,
followed closely by Airplanes, from their previous album. I adore the lyrics
and the build up is pretty cracking.
Most of the reviews I’ve
read see critics concluding that, with Hummingbird, Local Natives show that
they can dig deeper, and that in the case of their debut EP, they were just
scratching the surface. Having listened to both a lot, I agree to a certain
extent. I like Gorilla Manor a lot. I’d rate them close enough, but Hummingbird
takes the win. It feels more like the all-growed-up, slightly cooler and wiser brother of the
debut.
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