Friday 3 July 2009

Local Natives - Sun Hands

Orange County is probably now best known for Mischa Barton and her materialistic shop-a-holic offspring whose unfathomable piss-poor adventures and attempted teenage angst has now left a rather blotted mark on the California district. And despite what Josh Schwartz’s teen-soap may tell you, there’s a whole load more to the city than lanky emo recluses who drool over Death Cab and Bright Eyes.

The O.C’s (Californiaaaaa!) Local Natives are on the way to releasing their debut U.K single ‘Sun Hands’. The rootin’ tootin’ melodic country-folk outfit have crafted something of distinct beauty with this harmonious combustion that starts as tentatively as a Fleet Foxes ditty and ends up scrambling over vocals of a White Denim nature.

They craftily avoided falling into the bearded, checked shirt, too-melodic-to-be-rock genre by actually letting go and running a little wild three minutes into the track. It’s refreshing to hear something that alters, at what first appears to be, a predicable direction with foreseeable results. I’m sure this will be the last time I mention Fleet Foxes in a Local Natives review, but as a cowardly music hack the first review, the first obvious comparison and the first target of cliché similarity is pretty much obligatory.

Check out the video below, it's pretty cool. (3.40 - kicks off a wee bit!)

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