[Soundtrack for this post]
Look, i'll admit..I didn't really think this album was gonna hit. I was looking forward to it, but i just kinda felt like Local Natives were a bunch of bros trying to make "existential bro-out" tunes. The first single, "Breakers", was pretty damn good, but the album just wasn't flowing for me on the first listen. Maybe i had some weird preconceptions that prevented me from giving it a fair shake, despite the fact that it was produced by Aaron Dessner of one of my favorite bands, The National. But something happened in the middle of the year that changed everything for me about this album. I came across the song pages for Hummingbird on Rock Genius and started reading annotations from a user who delved into the back story of these songs. I began to read about how spiritual this album really was, namely the connections that singer Kelcey Ayer was learning to make with his mother that passed away. It hit me really hard when i realized that everything I had assumed about this record was just way off-base and found that in actuality, this was one of the most emotionally riveting albums of the year
The three singles on this album are beautifully atmospheric and endearing. The soundtrack to this post, "Breakers" is a poetic cry for creative inspiration:
Waiting for my words to catch like
I'm trying to strike a match that's soaking wet
See through skull, see through skin
Leave all the lights on
We can't see out but they see inThe lyric that really stands out is "see through skull, see through skin"...A desperate plea to look inside of oneself and "break" through the limitations of our thoughts and in their case, the cloud in their brains that threatens the ability to write meaningful music. It's the truest expression of artistic difficulty and doubt. And there was much that happened to these fellas that hindered their ability to operate. Their long time bass player left the band and more significantly, the passing of Ayer's mother. While this record is filled with pretty love songs, like "Ceilings" and "You & I", it's Ayer's attempt to and manner in which he connects with his mother's ghost that resonate with strength, passion and humanity. On "Three Months", we see Kelcey looking for ways to connect with his mother; trying to make sense of where his life is without her:
I am letting you know I am ready to feel you
I am letting you know I am ready to feel you
I keep on calling just to get the machine
I've got to go on now
Having thought this wasn't your last year
He begs to feel the spirit of his mother in his life. He's "ready"...these are the words of someone in mourning. The imagery of the son calling to hear the old answering machine message is so vivid and real that you begin to feel what he feels following the unexpected death of his mother. The most powerful moment on the record comes on "Colombia":
The day after I had counted down all of your breaths down until
There were none, were none, were none, were none;
A hummingbird crashed right in front of me and I understood all you did for us
You gave, and gave, and gave, and gaveThe album's title, Hummingbird is in reference to how it took this small occurrence for all of the emotions and realizations of his mother's life and role in his life to become clear. This is hard for me to write about. I'm lucky to still have my Mother in this world, but Ayer's emotions make we wonder if I take that for granted
Ohhh, every night I ask myself
Am I giving enough?(x3)
Am I?I remember the years i spent growing up alongside my Mother following my Grandmother's death and the moments when she would feel my Grandmother's presence around her are unforgettable. One time we were at a movie and a powerful scene of a parent on their death bed made my Mom break down. I was young, but it made understand how hard it must be for my Mom to go through life now without her mother. Ayer's words on this Local Natives record made me think of that again and to say it's a strong feeling, is an understatemt. In essence, his catharsis leads to my realization of the role of the people who raised me and I'm overcome with emotion as i write this. This is what good music does to you. This is a REAL expression of human emotions and there's nothing more powerful in the world
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Peep the archives of all of the albums reviewed up to this point
#9 is due up tomorrow!
