Fleet Foxes [PA]

Performer: Fleet Foxes
Distributor: Alternative Dis. Alliance

Notes: With their self-titled full-length Sub Pop debut, Fleet Foxes unveil an impressively confident and engaging set of indie-folk tunes. While singer/guitarist Robin Pecknold's warm, resonant voice clearly brings to mind My Morning Jacket's Jim James, his tight vocal harmonies with other members of the Seattle-based band evoke vintage Beach Boys more than anything else (see the airy "He Doesn't Know Why"). And though the group's gentle instrumentation and pastoral aesthetic affectionately acknowledge 1960s/'70s British folk, they steer clear of self-consciously quirky "freak folk" meanderings, and opt instead for immaculately crafted chamber-pop, best evinced by the swooning "White Winter Hymnal." One of the finest indie releases of 2008, FLEET FOXES casts an undeniably enchanting spell.

Rolling Stone (p.82) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "A lower-dosage Animal Collective, the Foxes stuff their free-form songs with rich, swirling melodies; bellowing clouds of organs...and bells and assorted stringed instruments..." Rolling Stone (p.90) - Ranked #11 in Rolling Stone's 50 Best Albums Of 2008 -- "[T]he prettiest album of the year, and the warmest." Spin (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "FLEET FOXES is warm and cathartic, with all the hopefulness of a balmy summer night." Spin (p.52) - Ranked #5 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "Fleet Foxes distinguish themselves from the vintage-vinyl crowd by infusing their rootsy retro-pop moves with a sense of mystery..." Entertainment Weekly (p.71) - "'Ragged Wood' moseys in on breezy harmonies, transforming the folk rock to beach pop in the pick of a high, tensile guitar string." -- Grade: A Magnet (p.102) - "'Ragged Wood' begins with a shuffling twang, but before settling too deeply into the standard top-down AMericana, the song downshifts into a loose, lovesick midsection whose eventual peak feels as natural as it does surprising." Q (Magazine) (p.101) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]he quintet win solely on the strength of their complex but unaffectedly lovely songs....A pure pleasure." Mojo (Publisher) (p.73) - Ranked #1 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "A musical tonic of our times; a reminder of what humanity is capable of." Blender (Magazine) (p.72) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Fleet Foxes go for a somber, bombed-out hippy vibe, with acoustic guitars and five-part harmonies filling 'White Winter Hymns' and 'Blue Ridge Mountains.'" Paste (magazine) (p.65) - "[W]hat we take away from the album is less a collection of specific moments and more of a feeling. It's like watching the sun rise over distant mountaintops, over and over, familiar and captivating all at once." Clash (magazine) (p.126) - "From the a capella opening to 'White Winter Hymnal' and the mature folk sensibility of 'Tiger Mountain Peasant Song,' this album heralds the arrival of an interesting, seductive and confidently singular sound." Clash (magazine) (p.64) - Ranked #25 in Clash's "The 40 Best Albums of 2008" -- "Blending the sweetness and innocence of '60s AM radio gems and Californian harmonies with shimmering, wide-open guitars, Fleet Foxes are a truly special band..."

A notable addition to Sub Pop's label roster in 2008, Fleet Foxes are a Seattle-based indie-rock ensemble with a striking penchant for airy Beach Boys-inspired vocal harmonies and bright, chiming arrangements. While lead singer Robin Pecknold's voice easily garners comparisons with My Morning Jacket's Jim James, Fleet Foxes wander far from the elder band's Americana sound, often incorporating a pastoral British folk influence. Following up on the well-received SUN GIANT EP, the group unveiled its self-titled debut to even further accolades, justifying all that early critical attention and garnering the band year-end praise in the Unite States and England, where the album was certified gold.

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