Local Natives surprised me with their adult contemporary-ness. I mean, look at the formula: much-hyped L.A. quintet releases much-hyped debut, complete with artsy could-be-Vampire-Weekend album cover and incongruous album title (Gorilla Manor). Here we go again, I thought.
But not quite.
It's not that I don't like their adult contemporary-ness, it's simply not as compelling as their more adventurous (and, paradoxically, more traditional) first half of the album. The second half couplet of "Who Knows Who Cares" and "Cubism Dream" could be The Fray with a respectable ghost writer and less restrained drummer. John Kerry wouldn't be offended to hear "Airplanes" on his ham radio. It's nice to see a band with range, it just happens to be at odds with the rest of the album. And schmaltzy, I suppose.
There's a lot of good stuff: "Wide Eyes" and "World News" put the bands amazing-yet-not-overbearing percussion work on full display. These guys are talented, obviously, but still need to solidify their sound.
Essential Tracks:
"Wide Eyes"
"World News"
"Camera Talk"
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