Welcome to another Monday Threesome! Though this past weekend has been a mixture of uncomfortable cold and snow, we here are in a jovial state of mind. Local Natives are hard at work on their new album , which prompted us to listen to their last release with a fresh ear, along with two other bands who have a similar sound. These are youthful, energetic groups with buoyant harmonies, driving tribal drums, afro-guitar sensibilities and simple pop melodies/lyrics. The rustic nature of these songs matches the snowy weather, but they're also definitely a cure for [...]

Superhumanoids have made "Geri" - their first track to come from new LP Exhibitionists - available for free download. continue reading >>

ARMS? (No not the limbs), I would relate ARMS to a more straight forward version of Local Natives (they call it lo-fi pop, I guess I can see that as well). ARMS began as the solo project of former Harlem Shakes front man Todd Goldstein, countless bedroom sessions finally boiled over post Harlem Shakes breakup and now experimentation has led to a full band and Summer Skills . Or, as they they worded it: "ARMS is what happens when the back burner bursts into flame." These two great singles coupled with some awesome Daytrotter [...]

Luego de algunos meses de silencio y otros tantos girando con su excelente disco debut Gorilla Manor , el conjunto de Los Angeles Local Natives ha anunciado que finalmente está concentrando sus esfuerzos en una nueva producción. El grupo actualizó ayer su sitio web con el esperanzador mensaje que ven en la imagen superior: "Estamos trabajando en un nuevo disco" . Poco después, su sello Frenchkiss Records hizo correr la bola en Facebook y [...]

Follow up to 2010's Gorilla Manor in the works.

Just in case you missed our tweets about this last nigh, Local Natives have announced they're making a new record. The information was unveiled through a message (which you can see below) left on their website . No news on when it will be released, but we're all hoping the follow up to Gorilla Manor comes sooner rather than later.

O Local Natives atualizou seu site oficial para anunciar que seu segundo disco está caminho. A mensagem é curta e grossa e se resume à imagem que vocês podem conferir acima. O álbum será o segundo da banda e, apesar do anúncio, ainda não há previsão de quando o disco chegará aos nossos ouvidos. Gorilla Manor , seu disco de estreia foi um dos grandes destaques de 2010 e, se seu sucessor seguir o mesmo caminho, vem coisa boa por aí. Confira o clipe de Who Knows, Who Cares , [...]

I shall start this post off with a mid-western confession: I am from Mason, OH : hyper-suburban, cultural tundra of the world. A land where McMansions, golf courses and soccer moms run rampant. To say the least, I am very thankful that I turned out the way I am. I love music more than anything and I'm not aspiring to be the next Goldman-Sachs stooge. This being said, living in Chicago, I LOVE discovering a band for the first time, but then receiving the added bonus of having them live/play in the same city you live in. [...]

This morning we mentioned some upcoming releases we're excited about, but not every band has their plans set in stone. Some are more vague, intentional or not, about their current projects, leaving us to speculate about whether they'll make good on a promise for a record in 2012, or whether they'll just surprise us with a stellar album. Here are some bands we're (*fingers crossed*) expecting/hoping for albums from this year. Sometime in 2012 [...]

Sometimes I get spoiled by living in Los Angeles. Whether it's walking down the street and bumping into a celebrity or knowing about a "hot" band before they make it seems completely normal. Sure the latter part of that statement will probably ostracize me from some of my readers, but it's true. Although it seems pretentious and snobbish, it feels weird constantly saying, "I have been listening to this band for X amount of years before anyone knew who they were." After a while you become accustomed to this feeling and jaded since a lot of breakthrough bands [...]

<!-- --> Click here for download Sounds like: Beach House, Wye Oak, Local Natives Song: Francis - Traktor [download here ] What's so good? Francis have catapulted into the spotlight in lieu of their joining The Tallest Man On Earth as supporting act. Amazing how that works, isn't it? The [...]

<!-- --> Click here for download Sounds like: Fleet Foxes, The Shins, Local Natives, Blitzen Trapper Song: Yukon Blonde - Fire [download here ] What's so good? Intricate harmonies, pastoral lyrics about fire and water, beards - no, I'm not talking about Fleet Foxes, but rather Yukon Blonde, who hail from just [...]

5 Songs is a weekly series where we point out the strange, the grand, and the unique connections between our favorite songs. Let's get weird. Words by Chris A great cover in my opinion is one that alters the meaning of the song via the covering-band's performance. A really great cover is one that takes the place of the original in your mind. There are more than 5 examples of this for sure. Below [...]
Click here for download Sounds like: Local Natives, Edward Sharpe, Alex Ebert <!-- "VIRGINS - Dolphin" --> Song : VIRGINS - Dolphin [download here] What's so good? So, you want to record an album, do ya? How about hopping on bicycles and touring the North Carolina countryside for inspiration? Such was the approach taken by Saman Khoujinian and Gabriel Anderson recording their latest album, RGB. Made [...]

Personally, I enjoy me some Local Natives. Those who say they're overhyped...well, they're just plain wrong. There are 2 tracks floating around (barely) that I had never heard, and with good reason. One was a bonus track paired with Amazon purchases of Gorilla Manor, which is a site I don't use, and the other came bundled with copies downloaded from eMusic (eWhat?). VNR has solved the mystery, and the results are below for your streaming pleasure. Unfortunately for you, I don't post downloads without permission. Don't give up, though...I'm sure you'll find them somewhere . [...]
The three bands put on a spine-tingling show in Seattle // Follow Owl and Bear on Facebook and Twitter for contests, MP3s, and links that don't make it onto the blog.

Local Natives: "Warning Sign" (Talking Heads Cover) The National: [...]

BAM! Bet you were expecting a Best of 2011 list, yeah? Well I don't got time for that (YET)! No...this is where I acknowledge all the great stuff I missed in 2010. 'Cause it doesn't get any more rock n roll than to talk about shit that's over a year old. Write that down in your How to Be Rock N Roll notebooks. Anyway, the last time I wrote this list , I spent quite a while talking about how there isn't enough time in one year to listen to all the potentially great releases and put [...]