Fleet Foxes CD

Personnel: Gwil Owen (flute).
Audio Mixer: Phil Ek.
Recording information: Avast Studio, Seattle, WA (2007); London Bridge Studio (2007).
Arrangers: Robin Pecknold; Nicholas Peterson; Casey Wescott; Skyler Skjelset.
With their self-titled full-length Sub Pop debut, Fleet Foxes unveil an impressively confident and engaging set of indie-folk tunes. While singer/guitarist Robin Pecknold's warm, resonant voice clearly brings to mind My Morning Jacket's Jim James, his tight vocal harmonies with other members of the Seattle-based band evoke vintage Beach Boys more than anything else (see the airy "He Doesn't Know Why"). And though the group's gentle instrumentation and pastoral aesthetic affectionately acknowledge 1960s/'70s British folk, they steer clear of self-consciously quirky "freak folk" meanderings, and opt instead for immaculately crafted chamber-pop, best evinced by the swooning "White Winter Hymnal." One of the finest indie releases of 2008, FLEET FOXES casts an undeniably enchanting spell.
Borrowing from ageless folk and classic rock (and nicking some of the best bits from prog and soft rock along the way), on their self-titled debut album Fleet Foxes don't just master the art of taking familiar influences and making them sound fresh again, they give a striking sense of who they are and what their world is like. Their song titles reference the Blue Ridge Mountains -- never mind that they're actually from Seattle -- but it's the ease and skill with which they mix and match British and American folk and rock from the far and not too distant past that makes the band's music so refreshing. While this mix could be contrived or indulgent, Fleet Foxes use restraint, structuring their flourishes into three- and four-minute pop songs full of chiming melodies and harmonies that sound like they've been summoned from centuries of traditional songs and are full of vivid, universal imagery: mountains, birds, family, death. Despite drawing from so many sources, there's a striking purity to Fleet Foxes' sound. Robin Pecknold's voice is warm and sweet, with just enough grit to make phrases like "premonition of my death" sound genuine, and the band's harmonies sound natural, and stunning, whether they're on their own or supported by acoustic guitars or the full, plugged-in band. "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and "Meadowlarks" show just how much the Foxes do with the simplest elements of their music, but Fleet Foxes' best songs marry that purity with twists that open their sound much wider. As good as the Sun Giant EP was, Fleet Foxes saved many of their best songs for this album. "White Winter Hymnal" is remarkably beautiful, building from a vocal round into glorious jangle pop with big, booming drums that lend a sense of adventure as the spine-tingling melody lightens some of the lyrics' darkness ("Michael you would fall and turn the white snow red as strawberries in summertime"). The suite-like "Ragged Wood" moves from a galloping beat to sparkling acoustic picking, then takes a trippy detour before returning to a more thoughtful version of its main theme. "Quiet Houses" and "He Doesn't Know Why"'s driving pianos show off the band's flair for drama. Dazzling songs like these are surrounded by a few songs that find the band leaning a little more heavily on its influences. "Your Protector" nods to Zeppelin's misty, mournful side, and "Blue Ridge Mountains" is the kind of earthy yet sophisticated song CSNY would have been proud to call their own. But, even when the songs aren't as brilliant as Fleet Foxes' highlights, the band still sounds alluring, as on the lush interlude "Heard Them Stirring." Throughout the album, the band sounds wise beyond its years, so it's not really that surprising that Fleet Foxes is such a satisfying, self-assured debut. ~ Heather PharesRolling Stone (p.82) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "A lower-dosage Animal Collective, the Foxes stuff their free-form songs with rich, swirling melodies; bellowing clouds of organs...and bells and assorted stringed instruments..."
Rolling Stone (p.90) - Ranked #11 in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums Of 2008 -- "[T]he prettiest album of the year, and the warmest."
Spin (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "FLEET FOXES is warm and cathartic, with all the hopefulness of a balmy summer night."
Spin (p.52) - Ranked #5 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "Fleet Foxes distinguish themselves from the vintage-vinyl crowd by infusing their rootsy retro-pop moves with a sense of mystery..."
Entertainment Weekly (p.71) - "'Ragged Wood' moseys in on breezy harmonies, transforming the folk rock to beach pop in the pick of a high, tensile guitar string." -- Grade: A
Magnet (p.102) - "'Ragged Wood' begins with a shuffling twang, but before settling too deeply into the standard top-down AMericana, the song downshifts into a loose, lovesick midsection whose eventual peak feels as natural as it does surprising."
Q (Magazine) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he quintet win solely on the strength of their complex but unaffectedly lovely songs....A pure pleasure."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.73) - Ranked #1 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "A musical tonic of our times; a reminder of what humanity is capable of."
Blender (Magazine) (p.72) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Fleet Foxes go for a somber, bombed-out hippy vibe, with acoustic guitars and five-part harmonies filling 'White Winter Hymns' and 'Blue Ridge Mountains.'"
Paste (magazine) (p.65) - "[W]hat we take away from the album is less a collection of specific moments and more of a feeling. It's like watching the sun rise over distant mountaintops, over and over, familiar and captivating all at once."
Clash (magazine) (p.126) - "From the a capella opening to 'White Winter Hymnal' and the mature folk sensibility of 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song,' this album heralds the arrival of an interesting, seductive and confidently singular sound."
Clash (magazine) (p.64) - Ranked #25 in Clash's "The 40 Best Albums of 2008" -- "Blending the sweetness and innocence of '60s AM radio gems and Californian harmonies with shimmering, wide-open guitars, Fleet Foxes are a truly special band..."