Local Natives - Gorilla Manor (Frenchkiss, 2010)

Dear Indie Hipsters,

It would be greatly appreciated if you could leave this band alone. I know that everyone is talking about them, and that is probably with fairly good reason. Certainly, it can be conceded that this album is another entry into the real "hip" and happening releases of "indie", displaying any number of the hallmarks of what is so incredibly popular at the moment. It has not gone unnoticed that the influence of Fleet Foxes has been like a thunderclap over the indie landscape, and as far as the vocals and harmonies on this album are clearly indebted.

But where Fleet Foxes have evoked in many a sort of bewildered debate as to why, exactly, they are so popular- with many divided along the love or hate lines with their heavily influenced 70's stylings- Local Natives have adopted a far more urbane approach, slotting the vocals into the realm of scittering drums that are at once tribal, but verging on the edge of military, with a heavily understated guitar that flits in and out of the song, adding colour, but never dominating.

The thought of the cold city isolation (popularised by the National and Interpol through their love of Talking Heads) could also be drawn in the reverb of the guitar and the haunting vocals. The flashes of pop are evident in the use of the piano and strings, and there any number of other subtle winks to other successful indie artists (anyone else think that the chorus in "Sun Hands" has a suggestion of Man Man to it?). The truth of it is, I think this may in fact be a remarkably understated release. There is very little bombast, with the band mining a sound that is so much an amalgam of any number of things going on in New York (and perhaps, even more specifically, Brooklyn), that it would be ridiculously easy to hold this band up as the new indie darlings, matching all that is popular, to create a sound that looks to take over the world. The sound is incredibly tight, with each song revealing an elasticity that is remarkably attractive because it still sounds natural. This is a band that seriously knows what it is doing.

But if the hipsters would be quiet, and listen, they may actually find a very astute release that stands on its own. Yes, it is very much of its time, and it will remain to be seen once the furor has died down, as to how this album will stand up to future scrutiny. But with a sound this cohesive, and a band clearly savvy to the world they inhabit, they have successfully created a beautiful, pop-filled album that is rightly getting critical and popular acclaim. But to be handed the fate of Fleet Foxes- hugely influential, but with many now neglecting them (unfairly, I suspect)- would be undeserved.

It happens too often that if people talk too much about a band, saturation is reached, with the result that people don't even want to listen any more, irrespective of what is being asked of them. And when there are things out there that are actually good, it is a truly sad fate to have entertain. So to all amongst us that are buzzing about this band, yes, they have released a good album. But any number of people are likely going to be turned off it by either the ceaseless prattling of people on the blogs, or the perceived to be "too-obvious" references to other successful acts, that many of the so-called "indie illuminati" may not even listen to it at all.