Top 13 Favorite Albums of 2013 #5 - Hummingbird by Local Natives
I think the next time someone asks me to define indie music, I’m going to play them this record. Local Natives has been my quintessential indie band ever since I sent a three paragraph explanation of how incredible their song “Sun Hands” off their album Gorilla Manor to my AP English teacher (Yeah, that happened). Hummingbird solidifies Local Natives’s brilliance because it is literally everything you would ever want in an indie record. Brilliantly emotional lyrics, earnest vocals, perfectly timed crescendos, sweeping instrumentation - it’s all just beautiful. Do yourself a favor. Shut yourself away and listen to the album’s first track “You and I.” Feel the slow build up at the beginning into vocalist Taylor Rice’s emotive exclamation of the first line. The verses are dominated by his powerful voice and lead into the chorus which immerses you in a controlled and striking harmonies. I would say that “You and I” is the best song on the record (because it’s perfect), but every song is equally as stirring and perfect. With songs like “Ceilings” setting up calming atmospheres with falsetto tinged melodies and earthy acoustic guitar riffs, Hummingbird was yet another impressive body of work from Local Natives. And the perfect soundtrack to my Sunday afternoons.
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