The Little Indians-An Album From The Little Indians
Record Label: Blue Room Records
Release Date: October 9, 2012
The world of indie-pop is a very complicated place filled with much mediocrity and quite a few bands who, despite their ability to write a couple of great songs, have a little difficulty when it comes to creating an all round excellent album. Basically what I’m trying to say is that indie-pop needs a band of heroes whom can sustain their heroism for a full album and this, my friends, is where The Little Indians come in. The Little Indians are purveyors of a particularly upbeat brand of indie-pop which makes life seem at least a little wondrous and if that sounds good to you, well you’ve probably just discovered your new favourite band.
The Little Indians are certainly not beginners in the musical universe. The duo, comprised of Augustine Rampolla and Kyle Gibson, were both previously members of pop-punkers You, Me, And Everyone We Know and Rampolla is currently touring with Hellogoodbye. However, it appears that they still have a musical appetite to whet and so they have created for the world An Album From The Little Indians, a collection of eleven fun indie-pop tracks that combine its proprietors’ other musical avenues together whilst putting their own distinct twist on it. Despite being a debut album, this is a delightfully upbeat record with bags of charm and musical talent. In a sentence, thank the music gods that Messrs Rampolla and Gibson have an inability to lay down their musical instruments for too long.
The album kicks off with “Vernacular”, a mellow settling into the release. The lyrics are quite excellent, with The Little Indians having an ability to write couplets that will certainly be quoted on many social network pages; “Past tense crept into our vernacular” is one of these particular lines and, as songwriters, they display a certain talent for intelligent lyrics, that manage to simultaneously be emotionally effective and even a little inspiring at points. Musically, the vocals are perfect throughout the release. Whilst an expansive range may not be deployed, the vocals have that quirky, happy vibe to them which lends quite a lot to their overall sound. The quirks of the voice sound a little like Nate Ruess of fun.’s, however Rampolla’s voice is less focused on the theatrical and that bit more grounded and likeable.
Largely, most of the songs are based on choppy guitars, hand claps and ‘awkward dance’ inspiring drumming. Synthesizers play their role within tracks like the Hellogoodbye-esque “Let’s Split” which is possibly the happiest song ever written about giving up and breaking up with someone. "Searching (For The Same Thing)" is ridiculously catchy and is definitely single material, whilst closer “Night Owl (A Dream)” takes a more laidback approach, with a slower vibe. Quite excellent, it has that air of a special track with a goosebump worthy happiness to it, and it basically leaves the listener thinking the world is that bit better than it was forty-four minutes previously.
This record is superb. It’s hard to find flaws in an album that inspires this much joy. Possibly, The Little Indians could go for a slightly more expansive sound if they stretched out past the upbeatness, but honestly, they’re doing what they do completely right. An Album From The Little Indians has been long time coming, however it’s certainly been worth the wait.
Hm, I could've sworn I heard this band before and they weren't very interesting. But if this is anything like You, Me, and Everyone We Know then it must be good.
Just gave Night Owl a shot. Love it. Will be playing at summer campfires next year for sure. Will check out full album and if its as good as the review leads on will be buying for sure. Great music. This band, Vacationer, and Maniac is the kind of music that mainstream music needs. Although this is idealistic thinking, hopefully the success of songs like Anna Sun by Walk The Moon and "We Are Young" by fun. could open opportunities for these bands.
Just gave Night Owl a shot. Love it. Will be playing at summer campfires next year for sure. Will check out full album and if its as good as the review leads on will be buying for sure. Great music. This band, Vacationer, and Maniac is the kind of music that mainstream music needs. Although this is idealistic thinking, hopefully the success of songs like Anna Sun by Walk The Moon and "We Are Young" by fun. could open opportunities for these bands.
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