becoming one with the natives.

I absolutely love music. There’s not a moment in my life when there isn’t music in the background. Hell, I can’t even take a shower or a twosey without bringing my iPod and speakers into the bathroom. Work is where I get most of my music research in since I’ve got all day and why would I actually want to get work done?

So this week, thanks to NPR, I’ve been previewing the new Local Natives album, Gorilla Manor. BTW, NPR saves my life daily while I’m at work. If you don’t already, I highly recommend signing up for their Song of the Day and What We’re Reading newsletters. The writing is insightful and progressive. But I’m sure you already knew that.

Anyway, I’m completely enamored by this album. I’m already a big fan of folk music but I was yearning for something new. My Beirut and LCD Soundsystem Pandora stations were starting to repeat themselves a bit. If you like Fleet Foxes there is no doubt you’ll like the Silverlake natives that pour themselves into each song. I particularly enjoy “Shape Shifters.” It’s a bit melodramatic but I dig it from start to finish. His voice vaguely resembles that of the Cold War Kids but you don’t feel like he’s yelling at you.

The problem with folk music is that sometimes you feel as if they’re gently rocking you into a comma. I don’t know when that started since whenever I hear Dylan I feel more like getting in a fight then sleeping, but somewhere down the line folk music became wussy. Take Band of Horses as an example. I love them and listen to the frequently but sometimes I feel like that guy just needs a punch in the balls to see if he still has any. This is not the case with Local Natives. They sing caramely smooth harmonies and keep their manhood at the same time. Plus, with songs like “Camera Talk” that you can move to in more than just a sway motion, it’s also fun to listen to.

The album will be up for free until February 16 on NPR.com.

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=123495758#playlist