Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes [Better Late Than Never]

This is another installment of Tone Marrow’s occasional series of missed reviews titled “Better Late Than Never.”

It is very possible that 2008 will be remembered by some as “the year of Fleet Foxes.” There has been lots of buzz and praise heaped on this five-piece from Seattle in ‘08, to say the least. In January some of their songs appeared on Myspace, then they released their Sun Giant EP in the spring, and dropped their first full-length record, which is self-titled, in June. If you have an internet connection, two ears, and you do any amount of perusing on pop music sites and blogs then you have likely already heard the splendid harmonies and old-fashioned elements of Fleet Foxes.

Fleet Foxes walk a fine line as they have made a record that features fresh originality and classic nostalgia so well. The harmonies are a straight throw-back to the The Beach Boys, the melodies and tunes are clearly dependent on the great folk rock and pop of the 60s and 70s, and yet Fleet Foxes take these elements and create a record that sounds so new and crisp. In that way, Fleet Foxes is almost an enigma, with one foot in the past and one in the present, there are elements here that will likely appeal to almost any person who has enjoyed pop music in the last forty years. Not only does the music point back to simpler times, the lyrics are very pastoral, focusing on animals, fruit, plants, forests, mountains, and other components of the natural world. There are only a handful of lyrics that would give any indication that these songs were created in the context of a technological society. This only adds to Fleet Foxes’ appeal and charm as it causes them to seem timeless and representative of peaceful, simpler times. It is the very neglect of technology that helps make this record so warm and unique among its indie peers.

Fleet Foxes begins on an old-fashioned country-folk number, “Sun It Rises,” which opens with an acapella choir that sounds like it was recorded in a small, Southern church back in the days when the shape note was king. This harmony, like those that frequently follow it, are tight and attractive. When the whole band isn’t singing, Robin Pecknold, who wrote all the songs here, manages the vocal responsibilities very well. As many have pointed out his voice sounds strangely similar to My Morning Jacket’s front man, Jim James (that is before the Prince imitations on 2008’s Evil Urges). Both vocalists use slight echoes to create great sound. However, the harmonies and the sparse folk arrangements of Fleet Foxes insure that no one will ever mistake one of their tunes for a MMJ song.

“White Winter Hymnal” has gained lots of praise in recent months, and for good reason–it is a fun, happy tune (contrasted with its lyrics describing “little heads falling in the snow”) which features a mellow surf guitar line causing their 60s pop music influences to shine brightly. The rest of the songs vary in tempo and depth of instrumentation, but they are all clearly cut from the same cloth. Even at its densest, Fleet Foxes remains a sparing affair–it often sounds as if it were recorded in a large open, empty venue, though it is doubtful that Fleet Foxes have played any empty venues in 2008. “Heard Them Stirring” is a somewhat haunting cut composed entirely of wordless harmonies showcasing all of their elements working perfectly together. It also adds the “baroque” to their self-described sound: “baroque harmonic pop jams.” “Blue Ridge Mountains” is classic song carried along by a brilliant piano and features a surprising, passing reference to “a connecting flight.” Though the acoustic guitar composes the bones of these songs, the pianos, occasional organs, drums, electric guitars, and vocal harmonies provide plenty of meat to cover those bones while still keeping this a relatively sparse recording. The songs on Fleet Foxes are all gems–there really isn’t a bad one in the bunch, and they will all have you singing along sooner than you’d expect.

Considering all that has occured this year outside the music world: the lengthy presidential race filled with bitter ads and lies (the end of which everyone eagerly awaited), a hurricane in Texas, gas prices rising, plunges in the stock market, lay offs, unemployment, and bailouts–all occuring within the last few months–it really isn’t surprising that people have been so attracted to an album of simple melodies, peaceful harmonies, and pastoral images and settings since this is the exact opposite of what is going on all around us. It is great to have bands like TV on the Radio making records like 2008’s Dear Science, that capture the anger, fear, and paranoia of living in 2008’s America because we need records like that to help us chronicle this time and to aid us in coping with it–and yet, it is equally important to have records that provide us with a break from that world and give us a few moments to simply listen, sing along, and think of simpler times. Fleet Foxes is a front-runner in that latter category and that, along with its many winning qualities, make it one of the most essential albums of 2008.

Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Sub Pop, 2008
Rating: 4.5/5.0