Check It. Local Natives [The Monday Download].

I was pretty bummed about missing SXSW yet again this year, but thanks to a little live streaming via NPR and KCRW, I still got to enjoy listening to some great tunes. One particularly awesome set was played by one of my new favorite bands, Local Natives, for NPR Music's Day Party at the Parish, which you can listen to here.

But if that doesn't already endear you to the (yep!) locally based band (Silver Lake, to be exact), then the following videos should. Probably inspired by the amazing Take-Away Shows from La Blogotheque (more praise about that to come another time), these creative and beautifully plotted videos take the indie rock band away from the usual stage to perform acoustic versions of songs from their intricate, soaring debut Gorilla Manor. From an alleyway to a barnhouse to an abandoned room in a high-rise, the videos do a great job of not only capturing music in a different atmosphere but also highlighting the innate talent of the band who can adapt to surroundings and still sound so darn good even in these situations.

In short, these videos are wonderful pieces in and of themselves, but also give a talented band its justice.

-- Chau Tu