[Kelcey] Ayer, though, hits the arena level on “Wooly Mammoth,” led by Frazier’s charge of chaotic snare snaps and furious cymbal crashes, setting the table for flexing full-band harmonies for the group’s most expansive sound to date. Strangely, the song also brushes closer to Gorilla Manor’s characteristics than anywhere else on Hummingbird. But, besides single “Heavy Feet,” Ayer is left with four heartbreaking, captivating leads that either sink or define the collection, depending on the listener’s investment. This is a trademark of producer Aaron Dessner, seen both in his band, The National, and last year’s Sharon Van Etten album, Tramp. Typically these are called “growers,” but really, it’s more than just music needing time to grow on the listener. The listener also grows into the songs, allowing them to become familiar while getting in the frame of mind to engage and examine its intricacies. These albums require commitment from the audience, with the belief that it will be worth the trouble.

At first glance, Local Natives' second album seems to have been conceived with the sole intention of bumping up that Pitchfork percentage. Written after touring with Arcade Fire? Produced by the National's Aaron Dessner? Put together in hipster enclaves Montreal, Brooklyn and Silverlake? Only if it came wrapped in plaid and dubious facial hair could it appeal more to its chosen demographic. It would be unrealistic, then, to expect Hummingbird to consist of nothing but raucous bashment anthems, and so it transpires – musical comfort zones are rarely left, with the band alighting on the same twinkling Americana sound that has served the likes of Fleet Foxes and My Morning Jacket so well. It's pretty, yet rarely challenging. However, the spiralling refrain of Colombia ("Every night I'll ask myself, am I loving enough?") shows the band are capable of hitting emotional peaks with a power to leap out and grab you.