Local Natives
The Fox
Local Natives: Exceeding Expectations
Heading to the Fox Theater to hear Local Natives, my
attitude was lacking. Another night,
another indie band. I should have had
far more enthusiasm, particularly considering that the last two shows I
attended (at the Freight & Salvage, see below) were both winners. And when you’re on a streak, you have to
respect the streak. But I was lukewarm
about the proceedings. Even the
excellent company and good grub at Rudy’s Can’t Fail Café wasn’t enough for me
to achieve normal preshow levels of excitement.
In retrospect, I think it may have been my low expectations that allowed
me to better appreciate Local Native’s limited offerings - because the
offerings were limited, but I still enjoyed the show.
Local Natives has been around now for about 5 years. Their
first album, ‘Gorilla Manor,’ was released in 2009 and garnered a fair amount
of attention and spawned several minor hits: ‘Sun Hands’ and ‘Who Knows, Who
Cares’ being the biggest and best. The
complexity and confidence of the musicianship in these songs belied their youth
and inexperience and kick-started an expectations game. There was a consensus that the band was
destined for even brighter times. Their sophomore
album, ‘Hummingbird,’ was released the day before the show and is a
surprisingly mature effort that avoids much of the sophomore jinx where bands
try to over-elaborate and end up with bombastic noise that they think is art. LN’s sound is often compared to Fleet Foxes,
because of the over-indulgence in three-part harmonies, and Talking Heads,
because of the complex structure of songs that is nevertheless accessible. 
Their performance at the Fox was also a fairly mature and
accomplished effort. For a young band,
this is impressive. Yet, my own
impression is that the band may have reached their limits. I just don’t see them drawing any bigger
crowds then they did last night. But
there are plenty of bands that make a career out of playing midsize
theaters. One negative: the show was
short, just over an hour. But the band
genuinely seemed to be enjoying themselves. The bottom line: exceeding expectations, even
if they’re low, still makes for a fun night.
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