Hummingbird is an earnest, likable album. As a future artifact it may well stand as an Exhibit A example of what indie pop sounded like circa 2005-2015. Though Local Natives inhabit the same atmospheric corner as many parallel acts, there is a smoothness and ease to their music that seems more measured and subtle than most bands of their ilk. On Hummingbird, the Los Angeles based group both hazily define a scene and create an inviting record that excels on the strength of its own beautiful merits.
Expanding their musical territory, Local Natives follow the
popular Gorilla Manor with an even
stronger album. Sounds swirl and sway pleasantly on a sonically varied but
consistently produced piece. Aaron Dessner (of The National) is a delicate and
detailed producer. After his mesmerizing
work on Sharon Van Etten’s Tramp, Dressner
forges a full aural environment on Hummingbird
in which every bend of music blends naturally into a unified whole.
The album’s central single, “Breakers,” with its surging uplift, feels like an instant hit, even
as it chronicles confusion and dread. “I’m trying to strike a match that’s
soaking wet,” sings co-vocalist Taylor Rice as Matt Frazier’s drums hammer on with
a conviction that conquers all despair. For a lyrically melancholy, self-questioning
record (“Am I loving enough? Am I giving enough?” asks Kelcey Ayer on “Columbia”), the
constant rush of Fleet Foxes-like harmonies and percussive fury is harrowing
and devastatingly sincere.
Above all though, Hummingbird
is longingly gorgeous. It coos
and soothes, calls across deserts of desperation, ponders and dreams. On the
record’s final track, “Bowery,” though the lyrics insist Local Natives “can’t
tell if the ceiling’s rising or if the floor is falling down,” the music’s
waterfall plunge makes existential terror seem like spiritual transcendence. Fluttering madly through a wilderness of possibility,
Hummingbird soars.
Grade: A-
Perfect review! This album is definitely has a heavier/more aged sound than Gorilla Manor. They have grown as a band and as young men; the maturity in dealing with the death of a mother on "Colombia" makes it their most emotional song to date. Solid tracks with meat and substance...Very proud of these guys!
Check out: You & I, Ceilings, Wooly Mammoth, Colombia
I think that's Ayer singing on Columbia. Would make sense since I believe the song is about his mother. They can be hard to tell apart when Ayer sings in a higher register.
That's really good news and for sure lots of people are so excited for this album.
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