On the homespun debut of local folk-rock band O Giant Man, the soft songs conjure the comfort of your favorite faded sneakers. Everybody Knows I'm Just an Animal draws from the same well of poetic kitsch as Fleet Foxes and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, overlaying crisp, bouncing melodies with singer Christopher Robbins' plaintive croon. The album begins with "An Introduction," a blush-light instrumental. A swift drumbeat ushers in "By 2's," an easy, loping track that breaks into minor-key howls that prove the band isn't all stuffy sweetness. O Giant Man retains the raw, acoustic-leaning appeal of heroes such as Local Natives and Rogue Wave. At times, Everybody Knows isn't as instrumentally rich as it could be; but in its softer, more intimate moments, the sparseness feels perfectly arranged. An impressive start.
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