Fleet Foxes (Fleet Foxes)

What can I add that hasn't been said?? Iron & Wine, Fleet Foxes, The National, Bon Iver ... the second true alternative rock music is well underway and Fleet Foxes lead the pack. Scarborough Fair Forever! Folks, this is gorgeous stuff.

As far as I can tell this is the first Fleet Foxes album, and as far as debuts go, this one is solid enough. I'm not sure how this ended up on so many people's Top 10 lists, but everyone is entitled to his opinion. If you think this is one of the best CDs released in 2008, all the more power to you. What do I like about the record? I have to say the vocals are great. There are fantastic harmonies that are relatively out of the ordinary for a pop record - although they are hardly revolutionary. Just about all of the songs are nice to listen to, while I'm listening to them. But I can't manage to really remember them after the album is over. I guess that would be my major problem with the CD. I can't really comment on any of the individual songs because I honestly can't tell you how any of them go, and I have listened to the CD several times. There's so much reverb, that it is difficult to hear the performances of the group members. I'm not sure if it is because of the production, ... Read more

Fleet Foxes has an eclectic sound you never get tired of. I can listen to it over and over. A great combination of sounds from the 60 & 70's combined and modernized.

A previous review called this the "Beach Boys of Winter" which I thought was pretty cool, so that's the title of my short review. Anyway, I got introduced to this by hearing "Blue Ridge Mountains" at a Starbucks while reading the paper. I've been introduced to a few good bands like this (anything that sticks out I write some lyrics down and go find the band album later). Since then I got the whole album and have heard it several times. All the songs are great (although the opening of "White Winter Hymnal" can get on my nerves until the song gets into full swing). The sound bites on Amazon ("listen" links) will give you an idea if you like this album or not. I still like "Blue Ridge Mountains" the best, that song I wish it would go on forever.

Fleet Foxes defy categorizing - four-part harmonies are rich, evoking a baroque, choral tapestry. The songs on this album lead a journey - a medieval trek through snowy fields, rushing rivers, hilltops and valleys. As background music, this works fine, but it is so different it will capture your attention and cause you to stop what you are doing. The album has most impact if heard from beginning to end, without interruption. Give this three honest listens - you will be rewarded. GENRES: Baroque Folk, Mellow Rock, Choral. BUY IF YOU LIKE: Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Bon Iver. MUST HEAR TRACKS: "Sun It Rises," "Blue Ridge Mountains," "White Winter Hymnal."

I first saw Fleet Foxes on SNL and immediately decided to buy their CD. Their vocal harmony reminds me a bit of CSN&Y.; I enjoy every song on the album. I am 60 and this is the first CD by a new group I have purchased in a long time. I eagerly await Fleet Foxes next album.

Hi there! I'm new to reviewing albums, so this might be kinda confusing. Here goes: Like most of the CD's in my library, I stumbled across this album in the library. Amazon had been trying to sell it to me for a while, but I ignored that since they've recommended some really weird stuff too. But I checked it out when I saw it on the library and instantly fell in love with it. It's slow-moving, with rustic sounding lyrics and vocals to match, in amazing harmonies. Some tracks DO get old kinda fast (I was thinking specifically of "Quiet Houses"), but every song has a reason for being there. And the songwriter is SO YOUNG! Ribin Pecknold was 22 when this album was published, meaning he's been writing since he's a teenager. Look up "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song", "Heard Them Stirring" (instrumental), "Meadowlarks", or "Ragged Wood" (they were originally going to call the album after this track). Those are my favorites, but there's not a disappointing track on here. I'll be anxiously a... Read more

You guys really know what you're doing.... there are so many rock bands nowadays that simply ignore the fact that they need a good singer. sure the other instruments are extremely important too, but to me a singer really defines a band. I love finding bands like this and im amazed that i havent heard of you before... keep up the amazing work!

2008's best album as far as i'm concerned. harmonies are top notch, and the disc only gets better with additional listens.

I had a bootleg of this album a month before the official release. (Not to worry, I bought the cd here as soon as it came out) It took this long to write a review because it's not an easy album to fully comprehend in the short term. After the nearly perfect and perhaps more accessible debut ep Sun Giant, this full-length cd was far more difficult to warm up to. But just as in life, where nothing worth doing is ever easy, the brilliance of this album becomes more and more obvious over time. Comparisons to other bands might seem easy, but ultimately only useful as a guidepost to a type of sound that might interest you as a listener. So sure, if you like any of the 70's (or 00's) bands with a folk/rock/freak sound you may be open to the Foxes. If Led Zep was your main 70's band, you may want to look elsewhere. I was never a Beach Boys fan, but that may be one band that could be argued to be a significant influence. (As songwriter and front man Robin Pecknold would probably ackn... Read more

Eccentric and familiar at the same time; the self titled full length from Seattle's Fleet Foxes is nothing short of spellbinding. Borrowing heavily from olden-folk and country-rock, the album packs a futuristic vintage punch, although it's much more like a subtle kiss on the cheek. Peckhold's voice is always in reverberating reverence to the past, and the band's playing constitutes the very same greatness. The music is full of a mystically optimistic spirit; graceful and invigorating, all finespun into a genius work of art unlike anything else. Easily one of the most original and beautiful albums to come along on a long time.

These guys are the indie darlings of the blogosphere right now, and truth be told, they deserve just about every damn bit of the praise being heaped upon them. Hailing from the city that birthed Hendrix and Nirvana, it is a stunning accomplishment that Fleet Foxes have crafted a debut that recalls vintage CSNY, sun soaked Beach Boy harmonies, late 60's psychedelic pop, and even Appalachian Folk....and yet they manage to transcend a gratuitious homage to any of them. If their lyrics, song titles, and 16th century Renaissance cover art are any indication, this is a band that revels in bucolic and pastoral settings, say in a meadow just beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains. Off the 11 tracks on this 40 minute LP, 6 of them have them titles that read more like Wordsworth poetry than what you'd expect from a band on the Sub Pop label. But no matter. Four part harmonies are flawlessly executed, melodies soar amongst the reverb, and the instrumental performance shimmers in the glow of... Read more

From the sweet tuned Meadowlarks to the soft singing and acoustics of White winter hymnal, Fleet Foxes shows me songs and styles that I haven't enjoyed in a long time. Fleet Foxes is the one of the best albums I have listened to all year. The songs are so relaxing, I just forget about everything and let myself be sucked into the sweet melodies and voices. If you want to take a break from all the other music you have, or just looking for something new to listen to, this is for you.

I heard them first through a college radio station (and I'm 55 years young). Loved the sound, the harmonies and melodies. I play this while driving in rush hour traffic and I'm relaxed, alert and not inclined to "road rage". The words make me think, but don't cause confusion or irritation. They remind me of CSNY, and also the Beach Boys and Beatles! I can't wait to hear more from this very talented group.