Local Natives - Live at SXSW 2010

Track Listing
1. Wide Eyes
2. Camera Talk
3. Warning Sign
4. Shape Shifter
5. Airplanes
6. Sun Hand

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Local Natives - Rob Da Bank Session (30/01/10)

Track Listing

1. Wide Eyes
2. Airplane
3. Shapeshifter

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Local Natives - 6Music Hub Session (19/01/10)

Track Listing
1. Airplanes
2. Wide Eyes

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Local Natives - BBC Radio 2 Session for Dermot O'Leary (16/01/2010)

Track Listing
1. Airplanes
2. Cecilia

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Friday Freebies

We're Only Afraid Of NYC

I really meant to catch these guys at Tuts a couple of nights back, sadly I couldn't convince anyone to leave Sleazys in time, useless twat that I am. Bit of a pisser on my part, on a brighter note they've put a few of their songs to download for free here.

Camera Obscura
I know you are probably sick of Christmas already (seriously when the fuck is the sodding snow going to melt), but that's still no reason to ignore Camera Obcscura's festive offering a free download of their Christmas single, ‘The Blizzard’, get it here (right click save).

Beerjacket
In case you missed this earlier in the year, the lovely Peter Kelly has now put up a copy of his Bruce Springsteen cover of 'Dancing the Dark' up to download for free on his Bandcamp page. I would strongly urge you to check this out if you haven't done so before, it's class.

Burnt Island
The Glasgow-based indie folk band fronted by the novelist Rodge Glass, have put their debut single The Moments Before/Timeless Colours' up to download for free here. If you are feeling a bit delicate after last nights festivities then this song might just help to soothe that thumping headache, lovely stuff.

Winning Sperm Party
The Scottish DIY label has very kindly put up 4 new free download EPs from Ballad of Mable Wong, Monoganon, Orzelda & Blood of the Bull, download them here.

French Horn Rebellion
Electro-pop duo, French Horn Rebellion, (Robert and David Perlick-Molinari), two brothers born and bred in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, currently residing in Brooklyn NY are giving away a free download of some of their EP 'The Chart of (Placus City) here.

Mush Records
The electronic Independant Record Label are celebrating their 10th birthday with a 'Ten Years Of Mush Records' compilation whavailable to download for free here.

Amazon
The online retailers are giving away a few free MP3's to download for free including the Local Natives, Hot Chip, Basement Jaxx and Empire of the Sun. Get downloading here.

Team Love
You'll need to register for this one, but it's more than worth as you can get yourself some freebies from Willy Mason, The Wave Pictures and Tilly & the Wall to name just a few. Sign up to Team Love here.

The Mill
You probably already know about the free gigs Miller put at Oran Mor, or the Mill as it's known for the night. What you might not know is that they record these gigs and post videos and MP3' which you can download for free. There's quite a back catalogue of songs up there now, including established bands like Frightened Rabbit, Jetpacks, Meursault, Broken Records, as well as plenty of great local bands that you've not come across yet.
If you want a good introduction to some local bands you might have read about, but never heard, then get downloading here.

Dave Hughes
The Scottish Folk Punk has just posted a new EP up to download for free, there's also a whole host of his back catalogue up there which you can still download, get it here.

Polyvinyl Records
Have posted a sampler record, 'Simple Mental Math' for you to download for free. It includes tracks by Architecture in Helsinki, of Montreal, Japandroids and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin. Click here and use the password 'MATH'.

Peenko's Albums of 2009 #11 to20

20. God Help The Girl - s/t


19. Telekenisis - s/t


18. Meursault - Pissing on Bonfires/Kissing With Tongues
(yes I know this came out last year, but I missed it)


17. The Low Anthem - Oh My God Charlie Darwin


16. Idlewild - Post Electric Blues


15. The Local Natives - Gorilla Manor


14. Camera Obscura - My Maudlin Career


13. The Leisure Society - Sleeper


12. Passion Pit - Manners


11. Withered Hand - Good News

The Local Natives - Live at the Doug Fir in Portland (18/09/09)

Track Listing
1. Airplanes
2. Warning Sign (Talking Heads cover)
3. Cards & Quarters
4. World News
5. Camera Talk
6. Sun Hands

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KEXP

If that isn't enough for you, then head over to Aquarium Drunkard

Peenko vs The Local Natives

If you have been reading this blog on a regular basis then you should already be aware of the Local Natives, my great white hope for 2009. With their debut album 'Gorilla Manor' already in the bag and a Glasgow date forthcoming in October, I was luck enough to get Taylor from the band to do a wee Q&A for me.


Would you care to introduce yourselves?

Of course. My name is Matt Frazier and I am 1/5 of Local Natives.


How did you come up with the band name?

While recording the album it became clear to us that this band had evolved into something entirely new, with that, we decided to change the name. We threw names around the room for weeks, opinions clashed, and nothing stuck. Finally, Andy came to us with a new idea… Local Natives. Typically when a new name was thrown into the mix, skepticism followed, and the name usually fell by the wayside, but for some reason, this time, Local Natives stuck. It just seemed to fit all too well. Is it blatantly redundant? Yes, but to me, that's part of the beauty of it. We feel that the name completely embodies the nature of this band.


How did you come together as a band?
The 5 of us have been playing together for about 3 years now. Before the name change we were called Cavil at Rest; a band started in high school primarily by Ryan Hahn (guitar, vocals) and Taylor Rice (guitar, vocals). While still in high school, Ryan and Taylor were joined by Kelcey Ayer (keys, vocals, percussion), and after a couple of EPs and a few lineup changes were then joined by Andy Hamm (bass) and myself, Matt Frazier (drums). We played as Cavil at Rest up until the recording our first ever full length (see above).


What artists would you say have had the biggest influence on the band?
You’d probably get five completely different answers if you asked each of us individually, but that’s part of what makes this band what it is; we pull inspiration from all different directions and try to meld it into something cohesive. We’re a vocal band, so naturally we draw inspiration from bands like CSNY or The Zombies, but when it comes to our more tribal, percussive sound, inspiration can be traced to the likes of Animal Collective, Annuals or even Talking Heads.


You released your debut single through Chess Club Records, are there any plans to release anything else with them?
Releasing ‘Sun Hands’ through Chess Club was a great experience. I can’t say we’d be opposed to working with them again somewhere down the line.


Does your debut album ‘Gorilla Manor’ have a UK/US release date yet?
It doesn’t. We’re hoping to release by the end of this year.


As you already have your debut recorded, do you feel more empowered as to which record label you choose to release it through?
I guess you could say we have a leaning as to whom we may be releasing with, but for now, I cannot say. Ah, the anticipation.


You do a cracking cover of the Talking Heads ‘Warning Sign’, are there any plans to include it on the album?
It’s definitely a possibility, but if you had asked me this 12 months ago, I probably would have told you differently. Our original intentions were nowhere near what they are now; it’s funny how this song has become such a constant for us. After working the song out (which, if you listen to the original, resulted in us flipping the song on its head), recording the demo and adding the song to almost every live set, it feels as if the song has become one of our own.


Do all of the band still live together? and does that help you creatively?
We do all currently live together, and I’d say it helps us immensely. This band is like a marriage; we’ve all accepted that. When we’re not fighting over who’s dishes are in the sink or who left the lights on last night, we’re either huddled around our rickety $65 piano working out new material or collaborating on artwork. It’s a beautiful thing really; we keep each other in check.

You have been gaining a lot of buzz on various music blogs, how do you feel about being labeled as a ‘buzz band’?
Initially, I’m intimidated. We want this band to be built up slowly with a solid foundation... Key word: Longevity. It’s really amazing that people have taken a liking to our music and started creating this thing called ‘buzz’, but I also want people to be able to latch on for the long haul and not just listen to us because we might remind them of another band of the moment. At the end of the day, the responsibility of maintaining the quality that creates a career band lies on our shoulders and we can’t wait to prove our worth.


You recently took part in the Daytrotter barn tour, how was that?
The week consisted of two blown bus tires, hiding in corn fields, tomato worms, one sweaty attic, jumping on hay bales, too much PBR to count, playing in caves, and risking our lives on 120-year-old rafters. Needless to say, it was everything I had hoped it would be. We played four barns and one attic… Each of the five shows was special in their own way. The Daytrotter crew really has a great thing on their hands and I can’t wait to see how the future Barnstormers evolve.


You seem to have had your debut finished for quite a while now, have you started writing any new material?
I guess you could say the album is still a work in progress. Since our initial recordings we’ve been bouncing new material around and it’s looking like some of the newer stuff may make it onto the album. For now, I can’t say for sure.


Are there any bands you would recommend I check out?
Wild Beasts. We heard about these guys earlier this year and really took a liking to their sound. Flash forward to SXSW in March; we run into them by chance at one of our shows and it turns out that the feeling is mutual. Their new album ‘Two Dancers’ is definitely worth a listen. (http://www.myspace.com/wildbeasts)



Local Natives debut single 'Sun Hands' is out now on Chess Club Records, you can buy it here. They play Oran Mor in Glasgow on the 1st of October as part of the NME tour, you can buy tickets here.

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The Local Natives - Radio One Session (22/07/09)

Track Listing
1. Sun Hands
2. Airplanes
3. Cards and Quarters
4. Camera Talk

Download
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This session was recorded for Huw Stephens Introducing Show on BBC Radio One, and bloody lovely it is too. If you haven't heard of Local Natives before (if not, why not, I have been banging on about them for a while now, here and here), then you really are in for a treat. Have a listen to 'Airplanes', one of the most beautiful songs I've heard all year. The band play Glasgow in October as part of the NME Tour, tickets can be bought here.

If you like what you hear and want more then you can listen to/download
their Daytrotter Session here

The Local Natives - 6Music Session (13/07/09)

The Local Natives, the hotly tipped buzz band from this years SXSW made their debut UK appearance on 6Music yesterday, after over coming initial technical difficulties the band shone through with an airing of new single Sun Hands, followed by a cover of the Talking Heads 'Warning Sign'. They're currently only doing a handful of shows in the UK, London and Lattitude I think, although they are due back in Blighty some time in September, I'll post details when they're announced.

STOP PRESS - fecking typical, i go and post that they'll be back in Sep/Oct and two hours later they announce they'll be on the NME tour with the Golden Silvers, details here. More importantly the Glasgow date is at Oran Mor on the 1st of October. tickets go on sale tomorrow.

Track Listing
1. Sun Hands
2. Warning Sign (Talking Heads cover)

Download

Introducing - The Local Natives

Imagine that the last Band of Horses album wasn't shite and they had made the great album they'd threatened too, then take a touch of Vampire Weekend, a dash of some Fleet Foxes, and a sprinkling of Arcade Fire, then imagine how amazing that would be. Sounds like an indie kids wet dream doesn't it, well kids spunk yourself no more as here they are, The Local Natives.

Hailing from Silverlake in the States (I have no idea where the hell that is, sounds pretty though), they are due to release their debut single, 'Sun Hands' on shiny 7" vinyl, next month (06/07/09), which you can pre-order here. With debut album Gorilla Manor follow shortly after (don't have a date yet).

There are no signs of any Scottish dates as of yet, although you can catch them at the Borderline in London on the 16th of July, here's hoping they make the journey north.

Airplanes
Airplanes (Daytrotter Session)
World News (Daytrotter Session)
Cards & Quarters (Daytrotter Session)

Myspace
Daytrotter