Sometimes you have to listen to an album more than once before you like it. For example, I hated M. Ward's last album, A Wasteland Companion. after the first listen. I really didn't want to hear it again, until I was reading an interview with M. Ward about the album. He said this one would take more than one listen to really like. Also, my good friend and Wires and Waves contributor, Jeff Poole, said he really liked it.

I decided to give it another chance. We were moving from Idaho to Oklahoma and had lots of time to listen to music. Not only did I not hate it, but I loved it. Moral of the story: Sometimes an album requires more than one listen to fully appreciate what was made.

This just happened to me again with the new Local Natives album, Hummingbird. I didn't necessarily  hate it when I first listened to it, but I didn't love it either. Their first album was so good and I felt like this album lacked some elements that I loved from Gorilla Manor. This album seemed a little more produced and the lyrics didn't sit with me as much as the first album. GM has catchy sing along lyrics that I loved. As I listened I didn't hear songs similar to "World News" or "Airplanes".

For some reason the other day I decided to give it another try. This time was totally different. I loved it. I think the anticipation of the record got to me, maybe. These guys have not digressed at all; in fact, I think they're getting better. It's not the same album as GM-- it's better. This album shows the progression of a band after a few years of touring nonstop around the world. Hummingirbd is better musically and lyrically. It maybe a little more complex, but that complexity is what drew me in the second time.

Posted by Zach