Leader in the Clubhouse

Well, the marathon Top 10 movies mini-series is over. As a segue back into regular blog content, I think I'll go from my favorite movie from '09 to my favorite album (so far) of 2010*.

* Does anyone else agree that '08 or '09 looks fine but '10 seems weird? I feel like I have to write out 2010 for it to look all right.

My most anticipated album of 2010 was probably Vampire Weekend's Contra, but close behind was Local Natives' debut Gorilla Manor, which I had been really excited for, thanks to a couple preview tracks over at HearYa.com. The album was, for some reason, released in the UK in December or something, even though the band is from Silver Lake. Nevertheless, it is now available without being an import.

And I was not disappointed. Gorilla Manor is a really, really good album. I don't quite put it up with my favorite indie-folk-pop-harmony-hybirds of the last few years (Fleet Foxes' Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver's For Emma, Forever Ago and Blood Bank) but it's in the next tier perhaps, probably better than any of the My Morning Jacket or Band of Horses albums.

Gorilla Manor starts with probably its best song, "Wide Eyes," one which encapsulates most of what's so great about this album. It has a very melodic, folksy feel, but has a a kind of dark, mature mood to it. The guitar parts, no strangers to reverb, are both excellent, the lead line really setting the tone for the whole song. The percussion, as it is for much of the album, uses a lot of drum rims and clicks and, on this particular track, is rather intense. The song structure is unpredictable and effortlessly weaves in and out of sparse, open sections and driving ones. All their song forms, not just "Wide Eyes," are great.

When Local Natives are at their best, their songs incorporate the gorgeous neo-folk vocals and harmonies reminiscent of Fleet Foxes, with their own distinct rhythms and somewhat ominous atmosphere. However, this isn't what they do all the time. Most of their lighter songs work pretty well, but occasionally they tread into the pop domain just a tad too much for my liking. They never linger there too long, but I would rather they skip the sentimental, Gavin Degraw* sound entirely. The opening of "Who Knows Who Cares" is probably the worst offender, but once the band kicks in, it actually gets really quite good and showcases some of the best harmonies on the whole LP.

* Is he still around? For someone who likes to think he knows a lot about music, I don't know much about the pop scene these days.

My only other complaint, and it's fairly minor, is that they don't possess the lyrical grace of some of my other favorite bands. It's not just that some of their lyrics border on trite, but they sometimes try and fit too many words or syllables in, resulting in a rushed vocal melody. "World News" is probably the worst of them in that sense, though it's still more than passable, as we hear a sort of hackneyed bit about radio stations and NPR, while they kind of strain to give us all the supposedly necessary info about this story. It really is a tiny flaw though. Their sound in general is very mature, just the words don't always match the sleekness or precision of their music.

But, I hate to nitpick an A/A- album that really grabbed me from the first listen and hasn't let go since. Their songwriting is excellent in terms of not only the writing but thoughtful arrangement. I really look forward to seeing them live, since they are an LA band, but because of Coachella they won't end up playing their hometown on this tour. Someday soon though, no doubt. Until then, I'll just have to be satisfied with their wonderful LP.

Here's them playing "Cecilia" in their backyard from about a year ago...



No entries till likely the middle of next week. Get this album in the meantime. And/or check out the new search bar I've added since I now have a lot of entries, many of which have confusing names. Au revoir.