Review of the Fleet Foxes' full-length
In my review of the Fleet Foxes EP, I was pretty ambivalent. I was drawn towards the strong vocals of lead singer Robin Pecknold and the band's obvious talent, but I was wary of the often spartan accompaniment and the recorded-in-a-church-basement feel that pervaded much of the EP. Well, the band's full-length, released 06.03.08 by Subpop, allayed my fears. This album is anything but spartan; most of the songs are well-balanced and anchored by Pecknold's strong voice. The result is wonderful; much of the album sounds like it is straight out of the late '60s and early '70s, and often in the best sense.
But The Fleet Foxes aren't copycats. That's what's so intriguing about the band; their style is all their own; it's just easy to hear the band's (many) influences, the most obvious of which come from the '60s. After a thorough listen of the CD, it's quite clear that they do their influences proud.
Of all the songs on the CD, "White Winter Hymnal" is the song that has gotten the most airplay, both on indie-rock minded radio stations and on podcasts. While true to its name (it sounds like a revisited hymnal), and a good song in its own right, there are several stronger songs on the EP. A few of the songs are no-doubters.
For instance, consider "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song," my favorite song on the album. With a classically-inspired guitar opening and Pecknold's soaring vocals, the song has a minstrel-like quality, but despite this, it's entirely modern, something like a twenty-first century rendition of a pastoral. One of my other favorites, "Your Protector," the LP's eighth track, has an entirely different feel. The opening of the song is muted, with an eerie-woodwind opening that gives way to building vocals, percussion, and striking lyrics which serves to make the entire song a crescendo of sorts.
These two songs are quite different, but both are successful, and it's this range that is so impressive. The album is full of similar successes. But don't expect to be overwhelmed right out of the gate; many of these songs need time to warm up, (even "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and "Your Protector" start off slowly). But these songs (and the album) are worth the wait, as the album does what an album is supposed to do – each song builds upon the next, and the songs cohere as a whole. And once you're done listening to them all, you can't help but enjoy yourself.
Labels: fleet foxes, lp, review, sun giant
posted by brett at
3:23 PM
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