Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

The cover of Fleet Foxes' debut album Fleet Foxes shines light at the intricate yet simple beauty the band wants to convey through their art. The cover is a a painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder from the 16th century. According to Wikipedia, ‘There are around 100 identifiable idioms in the scene (although Bruegel may have included others). Some are still in use today, amongst them: “swimming against the tide”, “big fish eat little fish”, “banging one’s head against a brick wall“ and “armed to the teeth”, and there are some that are familiar if not identical to the modern English usage, such as “casting roses before swine”.’ (Wikipedia) The painting is a metaphor of the intricate beauty of the songs that play inside this masterpiece.

Composed of lead vocalist Robin Pecknold, guitarist Skyler Skjelset, J. Tillman, Casey Wescott and Christian Wargo,  this Seattle Based band has received unprecedented critical acclaim with their debut album, released in 2008. I dare say that Fleet Foxes is a landmark album in the history of music with its just simple, good, beautiful soul-stirring music. Each song on the album is a quiet reflection on the simple life - a life lived in log cabins in cold mountains, under the delicate sun on grecian coasts, stoically accepting anything that comes your way.

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song starts as a lingering guitar plays over Robin Pecknold's voice, muffled seemingly through a thick winter fog. Small town, fleeting visitors, and a sense of sweet isolation pervades throughout the song. Its when a song crosses from the realm of plain music to emotional connection that you look beyond just the instruments or the voice - and breathe in the atmosphere. That's how all songs in this album are.

"The sun rises, over my head. In the morning, when the Hold me dear, into the night. Sun it will rise soon in the

The sun rising, dangling there Golden and fair, in the sky."

Sun it rises is a ethereal paean to the morning sunlight breaking through the cold dark night. With Robin Pecknold's voice echoing on reverb - seemingly through mountains. The band describes their music as "baroque harmonic pop jam". And this ornate baroque beauty comes across in each song - alive in each tune.

I have to reserve the greatest praise for one of the best song off the album - if there is just one. Starting with just gentle guitar strums, followed by Robin's voice echoing into an infinite space - filled with sweet beckoning; and suddenly springing to life in an ornate tapestry of gentle staccato piano - Blue Ridge Mountains is a song for the road. Robin's voice reminds one of Jim James from My Morning Jacket, infact - the entire album seems to be something MMJ could have made. I often think that MMJ's "Z" is one of the greatest albums of all time - with strong rock roots but a country soul. However, Fleet Foxes supplants MMJ and does it better. Filled with a charming innocence, and a beautiful rock-folk undercurrent that plays so well- it proves how the two genres are musical soul sisters.

Many songs on the album are three or four minutes long with just a smattering of words. Instead of words, the music creates a story in most Fleet Foxes' songs. And when words are spoken, they are spoken with an acute redolent charm that adds another dimension to the song altogether. Songs like the eccentric and charming "White Winter Hymnal" (with an equally charming music video) that begins gloriously and ends in equally heartbreaking beauty. Skye Skjelset's guitar, endlessly roaming under the nooks and crevices of each song, and Nicholas Peterson's drums which cushion the delicate music at every step, move hand in hand with Pecknold's emotive voice - making a beautiful team.

Arguably the most intense song on the album is Your Protector. The lyrics possess a lurking menace, buttressed by foreboding music as Robin croons You run with the devil. This is followed by the slow mournful croon of Oliver James - tapping on wood, acoustic guitars and heartbreaking lyrics about the drowning of a child. The story sung a capella, only surrounded by a few instruments lingering for moments.

Fleet Foxes is music of an old old world. It is heavy with beautiful music, singing in unison, drenched in reverb, each instrument and harmony acting like the strokes of a paint brush -- building up to a beautiful painting. Maybe it will not appeal to a hyper-crazed world of Twitter and one-second attention spans - but stop and listen, and it will sing along with the beats of your rustic old heart.

"In the quivering forest Where the shivering dog rests Our good grandfather Built a wooden nest And the river got frozen And the home got snowed in And the yellow moon glowed bright Till the morning light"

Fleet Foxes - Your Protector