Before I go any further, this entry is not about the Black Crowes. While the title of this entry shares the same name of one of my favorite all-time albums, I actually am more referring to how I would describe today’s topic—the Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut. The Fleet Foxes themselves are not from the Southern United States; in fact, they hail from Washington state and Oregon. Their music, though, feels closer to the folk sounds of the Appalachians, with primarily acoustic sounds accompanied by rich vocal harmonies. Their harmonies are what captured my attention.
I need to thank my sister for introducing me to Fleet Foxes. I had heard of them in passing a few months before my sister gave me an Apple iTunes Store gift card with a caveat—I had to pick up one song from the Fleet Foxes. By chance, I was at the library around that time and found their eponymous debut, so I borrowed it. Needless to say I was mesmerized.
Fleet Foxes received critical praise nationally and internationally and launched the band in to the music cosmos. It is the subject of this blog entry.
# 75 – Fleet Foxes, Fleet Foxes (Metascore = 87)
Initially the Fleet Foxes enjoyed more success in Europe than they did in the U.S., particularly in the United Kingdom. Tours there were sold out, and they were hailed by the media for taking a music that was steeped in tradition and making it solely their own. They parlayed their successes there to appearances in the U.S., which helped boost record sales and the band’s popularity.
I probably could write a track-by-track analysis of this album, but I won’t go that far. I love this album. It’s a soothing album to hear for me. I am tremendously biased when I hear this album. Musically it’s lush with acoustic greatness and splashes of electric guitars throughout. When I hear the music, I feel like I’m back in North Carolina in my childhood, recalling some early hymns and songs I had loved when I was a child, only the music has been given a modern stamp. Acoustic guitars and pianos ring in almost every track, while electric guitars provide greater depth in the music. These are amply supported by the bass guitarist and drummer, who provide a steady beat in every song.
The driving forces for me that make this record so great are the lyrics and the harmonies. Robin Pecknold—chief songwriter, vocalist, and guitarist—has an amazing voice and gift for writing. The way “White Winter Hymnal”, a literal story about a group of kids on a walk in the winter when young Michael takes a fall, is sung blows me away! Every single time I hear this song, with its rich harmonies and happy pace, I’m just floored how something so simple could be so amazing to hear. Every song is this way. Perhaps there are meanings within the songs—most songwriters would tell you that unless a meaning is direct that actual meaning to the listener is up to the listener—but the stories themselves evoke picturesque scenes that you could practically paint on a canvas. When I hear “Your Protector”, I imagine an Oregon Trail type scene where a man, whose wayward ways have led to this dire finale, is giving instructions to his family to not follow the paths that he has traversed.
This is probably my favorite album of the last five years, and you've captured its charms here. My favorite moments are the transition from "White Winter Hymnal" to "Ragged Wood," which feels like the first breaking of spring.
ReplyDeleteFor reasons I can't place, I've always heard "Your Protector" as a Civil War veteran's internal monologue on a long walk home from war.
Jimmy, I understand what you are saying about "Your Protector". When I hear it, I get a similar sort of vibe, though I picture Clint Eastwood in a Western around that same period. The song just gives off this vibe of being from another time, though I guess you could say that about the album.
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