Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (From Salisbury Journal)

Local Natives - Gorilla Manor

12:31pm Tuesday 19th January 2010

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Artist - Local Natives
Album - Gorilla Manor
Label - Infectious

It didn’t take long for someone to try themselves out as another Fleet Foxes. This Silverlake, California band are the subject of a lot of buzz, although the record itself doesn’t do enough to justify the adulation.

Running Fleet Foxes’ eponymous album through some Yeasayers/ Dirty Projectors messy shouty post-modern indie isn’t enough to properly distance it from Fleet Foxes. That reference runs all the way through this pretty good debut – the music uses its uplifting mass harmonies and swelling melodies well.

Like The Morning Benders, or Delta Spirit, there is a lovely sense that this is a band that enjoys making music, even while it stays true to its influences (to be gentle).

The lead single, Camera Talking, does at least head off in another direction – that direction being Vampire Weekend... Originality may (or may not) be an overrated virtue in modern music, as here it could detract from what is a fun and much better than average debut.

A fan of any of the bands above will be pleasantly surprised by this new addition to their listening material.

Rating 7/10
Mike Rea

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