Artist...............: Fleet Foxes Album................: Fleet Foxes Genre................: Folk Source...............: Cd Year.................: 2008 Ripper...............: Exact Audio Copy Codec................: Flac Information..........: TntVillage Covers...............: Front Total Size...........: 345 Mb
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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.
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01. Sun It Rises 02. White Winter Hymnal 03. Ragged Wood 04. Tiger Mountain Peasant Son 05. Quiet Houses 06. He Doesn't Know Why 07. Heard Them Stirring 08. Your Protector 09. Meadowlarks 10. Blue Ridge Mountains 11. Oliver James
Disc 2
01. Sun Giant 02. Drops In The River 03. English House 04. Mykonos 05. Isles |