Fleet Foxes self titled debut, and Sun Giant EP
The Fleet Foxes self titled album and the Sun Giant EP that is often packaged with it, are ultra-relaxing and take you to that different place you need to go to get those keys a tapping. If you’re like me I’m guessing sometimes when you write you need to calm down from the events of the day. This album is like a valium suppository to a burns victim. If you think I understand how that metaphor works you’ve got another thing coming.
The whole vibe of the album is folksy seventies american male vocals with multiple harmonies. They are probably more in the Crosby Stills and Nash tradition more than anything else, although they also remind me of church music. Matching beards back when this released completed the folksy hippie look of this band. I think of them as looking like well groomed old english sheepdogs in flannel shirts.
They won oodles of prizes and the music industry fawned over them for the moment in time when this album was released. The music is timeless and could have been written forty years ago as easily as in 2008, but for all that it was quite fresh when it came out.
The album has really cool cover art being a close up of the Pieter Bruegel’s, Netherlandish Proverbs, from 1559. If you buy this album on Vinyl you can check out all the cool details scattered throughout the painting. It really is a great painting with all these people wandering around this village with all these little stories. It one an award for best cover art, but as it is an old masters painting that’s really cheating I think. With that said I think it’s cool that they recycled what is a great painting lots of people would never have seen otherwise. What’s music for if not turning people on to great ideas, inspiring them. Right on Fleet Foxes, bravo, bravo.
Released
2008
Lyrics
Yes full of folksy melodic harmony soaked lyrics. However, they are not the dominant kid of lyrics.
Mood
This is an extremely calm album. The album soothes and relaxes and allows you to get a little mental massage as you tap away.
Good to work to
This is a very chilled album, the issue is whether it relaxes you too much. I find I can get into things and (not sure whether this is a bad thing) completely blank out the music.
Like
It is a mixture of two styles late seventies easy listening and folk. Kind of like back woods church music with a little bit of sympathetic instrumentation thrown in occasionally. If you like this you might like Bon Iver.
The Artist/s
These guys are from Seattle, they started out small selling Eps at show until they were ‘discovered’ by uber indie label Sub Pop and soon became the album everyone was talking about. Pecknold the writer for the band is one of Seattle’s foremost authorities on philately of the pre civil war period and regularly sets up philately stands at his shows for eager stamp collectors to show and trade in what have been termed high philately roadshows.
The Fleet Foxes are made up of
Robin Pecknold, songwriter, lead vocals, guitar
Skyler Skjelset, lead guitar
Nicholas Peterson, drums vocals
Casey Wecott, keyboards, vocals
Craig Curran, bass, vocals
Produced, engineered, and mixed by Phil Elk
Mastered by Ed Brooks
Other works
They have released some later albums, and in most releases the Sun Giant EP comes with the album. The Sun Giant EP and the album have the same vibe regardless.
To be honest (because I usually lie) I hadn’t heard great things so I haven’t listened to it. They are coming off a pretty good bass, but I can’t really imagine them evolving from in some meaningful way that I think I’ll find as good or different. I really like this album though and think that most bands would be doing well to ever produce something of its quality.
Where Can I buy it, and in what formats
This you should be able to find everywhere on any format.
The Verdict
Cruisey fun time listening. This is a great chill out and immerse yourself in the sound album.