Artist Local Natives

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Local Natives

Local Natives’ shimmering three-part harmonies and swooning, rich orchestrations make it nearly impossible to talk about the Los Angeles band without bringing in baroque indie touchstones like Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear, but the group is actually much more prone to unpredictable fits and starts than those comparisons suggest. On its debut, last year’s Gorilla Manor, the austerity of all those gorgeous vocal swells and meticulous arrangements is frequently upended by twitching, clattering Afro-pop rhythms and the occasional burst of guitar noise—an unpredictable formula that, for all its indebtedness to au courant indie, indicates Local Natives is well on its way to carving out its own niche.

Updated 07/26/2011