Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
2008
Album Summary
Fleet Foxes is the debut studio album by American folk band Fleet Foxes, released on June 3, 2008 by Bella Union. The album debuted at number eleven on the US & UK Albums Chart, where it eventually peaked at number one. The album garnered wide praise from critics, many of whom named it one of the best albums of the 2000s and one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
WikipediaI’m so upset with myself for never jumping on the Fleet Foxes hype train when I had the chance, because this album as absolutely incredible. Every vocal harmony impeccable, every note perfectly placed. This album feels like looking at a masterfully crafted wood carving. It feels like it takes the best bits of each of the year’s seasons and rolls them into one. Not only is this a 5, but I think it firmly has a place among my favorite records now.
On one hand, every song on this record is extremely well produced, with a clear and sharp sound and epic vocals. Standout songs for me are Sun It Rises, White Winter, Ragged Wood and Quiet Houses. However, there is very little for me to gain in listening to any more. I am dissapointed by the variety, a lack of tight instrumentals, and an unengaging theme. Because it leans a bit too much on vocals for my taste and I find myself getting tired of the choir-boy indie esthetic after a couple of songs, I feel it deserves a 6/10.
One of my favorite albums by probably my favorite band. I started listening to this album on the way to Santa Cruz maybe around when it came out. I was in middle school, and my best friend’s older sister put it on as she took us on the 3 hour drive to the boardwalk. It was the only CD we listened to the entire trip, and I’m not complaining. I have such nostalgia surrounding this! We laughed and swore we would learn to play Blue Ridge Mountains. I was told I could do the timpani or whatever instrument that is before, “in the quavering forestttt” chorus... I love this album with all my heart. I haven’t gone a year, month, and probably even week without listening to at least one of the songs off this album.
Um hi yes I’m obsessed with this album cover it’s gorgeous what is it. Apparently it’s by Peter Bruegel the Elder which makes since because I love his work. I hope I like this so I can buy it on vinyl just for the cover. 1. This is pretty 2. I have no idea what this is about but it’s pretty - I’ve decided it’s about little snow foxes wearing cute red scarves. 3. Pretty, this is soothing. 4. Oooh a minor key? 5. I really thought they were saying donkey man. Glad they aren’t. 6. “Memory is a fickle siren’s song” great line. 7. Pretty 8. I love this sort of sound - I have no idea what any of this album is about but it’s super pretty sounding 9. This sounds melancholic- very pretty though 10. This is a good album to listen to while you’re laying in bed at night. Calming, soothing, pretty, kinda zen. 11. It’s just a pretty album I guess I’m finally going to go listen to Shore now
This is like open heart surgery from the point of view of the heart. Painful, uncomfortable, but with just the right amount of sexual tension. It's a noose around an unborn baby's neck. A sex tape set in a cancer ward. Crying whilst fingering your twin sister.
Phenomenal debut, with masterfully crafted folk / chamber pop songs. Sounds like a solid mix between CSNY & The Beach Boys ‘Pet Sounds.’ STANDOUTS: -White Winter Hymnal -Ragged Wood -Tiger Mountain Peasant Song -Quiet Houses -He Doesn’t Know Why -Your Protector -Blue Ridge Mountains
*exactly my style of music *can't believe i hadn't listen to them before
Save it for a coming of age indie movie. It's alright, not offensive, but you're just never going to blow your load whilst it's on, are you? Or am I...? I did.
The sweetie-poo folk revival was never to my taste. Too earnest and hookless, but worse than that it's preening and genteel. Pop music is the language of semiotics, and what this communicates is a disdain for the city, the market, vulgarity. All healthy in doses, but in this quantity I sense puritanism. That said, they're very good players, occasionally turn their talents to picking good tunes, and aren't preachy.
This is the kind of stuff that I almost hate, but don't. The music itself is okay-ish. It's kinda dull and there's a million bands out there like them. It seems pretty soulless. It's folksy music for people that are not salt of the Earth people at all. It's for people that grew up in nice, pre-packaged communities and then want to pretend they have a damn thing in common with the average Joe. Sorry. I might've been projecting from personal experience there. Tl;dr: it's folk music for people from the suburbs that want to cosplay as working class. The band itself is lukewarm. It's not awful but it's not good either and it just feels so inauthentic and plastic.
I love love love this album. I used to listen to it so much when I lived in Ottawa on Blackburn and then on Argyle. I would bike with my headphones in and sing this album sooooo loud! Thanks for the good listen.
Think of the sheer STAGGERING quality of this band. This is probably only the second or third best Fleet Foxes record, and yet it's a nearly flawless 5 Star album. Most bands would be beyond lucky and happy to have a "White Winter Hymnal" or "Blue Ridge Mountains" as their opus. This band has BOTH of those, and they might not even be the best song from this era of the group! Incredible, incredible stuff.
4.3 + Haunting, majestic, uplifting - like watching the sun rise over a mountain, gradually spreading light over the rocky crags and dissipating the frigid mist.
As if the Mumfords were trying to pick up girls by demonstrating their deep sensitivity. Maudlin and over-produced but not in a good way. And yet, so precisely of its era that it's hard not to like it just a little bit
Did these come before or after Mumford & Sons? It's very Mumford & Sons. Fairly dull folk tinged indie. Thank God this lot and their ilk didn't take over the world as it briefly looked like they would in the early 2010s. Strong album cover though.
2008: White Winter Hymnal, Blue Ridge Mountain, Ragged Woods, Your Protector, He Doesn't Know Why
10/10. Every song is so good. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song is unreal. Can't say enough good things about this album.
Have listened to this album a million times. Have it on vinyl. Love it with all my heart adn will relisten soon...
Saved Prior: None Not Saved: 11. Heard Them Stirring 10. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song Cutting Edge: 9. Meadowlarks Off Rip: 8. Oliver James 7. He Doesn't Know Why 6. Blue Ridge Mountains 5. Your Protector 4. White Winter Hymnal 3. Sun It Rises 2. Quiet Houses 1. Ragged Wood Overall Notes: Did not expect to like this at all. Folk is one of my least favorite genres, it all sounds so terribly plain to me. But this was impeccable. Lush sounds, wonderful harmonies, nice little lyrical bits. An easy 5, especially considering the genre this is coming from. This is medieval music for the 21st century, and I'm here for it.
10. I don't really think it's objectively a 10, but that's what I'm rating it anyway
When I refreshed the page this morning and saw this album pop up on my screen I was so immensely happy. This is one of my favorite albums of all time and Fleet Foxes one of my top bands. To put it in perspective, 5 of the 11 songs are in my daily playlist (10 total by the band), and 4 made it to the playlist I made for my mom to get a better grasp on the music I love. All that to say it is an instant 5 for me and I am more than happy to give it another listen through with some long listening notes (song by song time! WOOT WOOT!). "Sun It Rises" - I love the traditional folk vocal intro to set the pace of the album in a way. The guitar intro is fun and uplifting and the ethereal vocals on the rest of the song fit my listening style of treating the voice as an instrument and not noticing lyrics right away quite well. The outro riff gives me a almost strokes vibe. "White Winter Hymnal" - It sounds like they are making an indie folk cover of a traditional folk song, but no its an original. I do love the Pentatonix version of this one too. "Ragged Wood" - This is one of the best songs on the album, certainly a departure from the first two song in terms of rhythm and BPM, it plays to its favor though pulling you back in after you drift off to dreamland during "White Winter Hymnal". The bass on this song is fantastic when it is poking through in the energetic parts it is captivating and then a simple but not overbearing bass solo as it then builds instrument on instrument back to that energy. I have listened to this song 62 times according to Spotistats and have never really had the reaction I just had to the bass on that song and I processed some of the vocals in a way I hadn't before. It sounds cheesy, but that moved me. Maybe it was listening through my studio headphones instead of speakers for once but it was amazing. "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" - This goes back to that traditional folk sound of the doubled guitars making a harp like sound is just purely gorgeous. When they sync up for a measure or two at a time it brings the contrast of the two together. It reminds me of the composition of Simon & Garfunkel's "Scarborough Fair/Canticle". The near shouted vocals on the what I guess you could call choruses have such a visceral feeling to them. "Quiet House" - This is probably my least favorite track on the album. It has amazing instrumentation to it especially that bass it really pulls the other parts together. The "Don't give in" section is what really throws me off, I just hear "Donkey Man" over and over again. The guitar on the outro is also very fantastic. I still really like the track just not my favorite. "He Doesn't Know Why" - I can't quite place my finger on it but the vocals on the intro reminds me so much of another song. It has bothered me since the first time I heard this song and still does. Great song with more great instrumentation. I love the in sync rests they do just before the bridge. "Heard Them Stirring" - I don't have too much to say about this one. It is a good filler track. I don't have strong feelings either way it is just a meditative respite in the middle of the album. "Your Protector" - Another of my favorites. The vocal and flute intro is very gently powerful. The build of the chugging cymbal leading into the bass dig in and then an explosion of instrumentation. There is so much to dissect in this song and I love it more and more each time. "Meadowlarks" - Another one of my lower listen count songs. I love the guitar part under the vocals. They work as two different songs in one that just fit with each other. The chorus of vocals that come in for the middle of the song are very relaxing. The song as a whole is very relaxing. A little too low energy for it to be on my everyday playlist, but I love it. "Blue Ridge Mountains" - The song named for my favorite place on this planet. Is it my favorite for that reason or because it is just an amazing and beautiful song. A little combination. I do prefer the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina but close enough. Another traditional folk sound on the intro. I close my eyes and I am taken there while listening. I can't wait to go back. It is the most beautiful and peaceful places I have ever been. Its fitting for one of the best Indie Folk albums to have a song about part of Appalachia one of the birthplaces of American music and particularly folk. Everybody should drive at least part of the Blue Ridge Parkway in their life. The rolling blue mountains for as far as the eye can see just have the most beautiful calming aspect. "Oliver James" - Another "lowlight" of the album for me. Doesn't mean it isn't a good song I just wish it was in a different spot and it ended with the fade out of "Blue Ridge Mountains". I was going to try to provide a little bit of an objective review at the end but that will not be possible. This is a top 10 album for me all time. It is just a beautiful indie folk album that is in my opinion and absolute must listen before you die. If for some reason you are still reading my long winded review I highly recommend that you listen to A Very Lonely Solstice by Fleet Foxes. It is one of my favorite live recorded albums I have ever heard. It certainly benefits from being recorded with no audience during COVID so not a live album in the typical way. I love this album, I love this band, I was having a stressful week and this just melted so much of my stress away.
Imagine if the classic prog rock group, Yes, and the classic folk rock trio, Peter, Paul, & Mary, gave birth to a band of children, only to discover that they were a little tone deaf. Introducing, Fleet Foxes. Variously described as Indie folk and Baroque or Chamber pop (this is a new one for me, folks)- ‘a musical genre that combines rock music with the intricate use of strings, horns, piano, and vocal harmonies, and other components drawn from the orchestral and lounge pop of the 1960s, with an emphasis on melody and texture.’ Sounds good, if only 'Fleet Foxes' had been able to deliver. If this is an example of chamber pop, I would suggest a chambermaid to clean up the mess. A bullet into the chamber of a gun would be overkill. I don’t want anyone to get hurt. Lyrically, the cover painting says it all, as a glance at the song titles will confirm: ‘Tiger Mountain Peasant Song,’ and ‘Meadowlarks,’ and such. You get it. And our lead minstrel, of course, goes by the name of Robin. No foolin’. One can only hope he’s better with a bow and arrow than he is with a mic. Robin was better in the lower registers, but as he climbed in pitch, he got pitchier. In fact the whole group’s harmonies, shrill and frequent, were also all over the medieval map. And the very heavy echo on the voices only sustained the bum notes. ‘Heard Them Stirring,’ for example, was three painful minutes of only oohs and aahs, no lyrics whatsoever as a balm for the hurting harmonies. Furthermore, there was very little instrumentally of which to speak, which would have at least provided a merciful relief to the vocals. The final track, ‘Oliver James’- the bleak tale of a poor chap who died down by the river and was brought back home to be laid on the kitchen table in preparation for burial- ended with an acapella vocal by Robin: ‘Oliver James, washed in the rain, no longer.’ And, bless his heart, he was giving it all he had, the passion was there; but, alas. Fleet Foxes, I was washed in your harmonies for thirty-nine minutes and 15 long seconds… but, no longer. Whew.
Fantastische, rustgevende muziek met veel harmonieën in de zang en gitaarspel. Deze zal ik met plezier nog eens opzetten!
Herlig folk! Føles utrolig varmt og organisk i både vokal og instrumental, og veksler mellom oppløftende og melankolsk. Dette kommer jeg nok til å høre mye på fremover!
Really nice!! Some beautiful and well performed vocal melodies. It seemed the second half was a lot weaker than the first, but i’m not sure if it was a difference in quality or the sound getting a bit monotonous. Still a really cool album, 9/10
this album is so good!! i loved this!! dont usually like folk either :))
Perhaps the best folk album to spawn since the new millenium began. Robin Pecknold's voice and the bands talent is obvious, and they create some of the most beautiful harmonies you'll ever hear.
One of those albums that spawned an entire genre of people trying to copy it and nobody else even came close.
I remember the hype about this, but it really wasn't my type of music, so never really paid heed. Listening closely now, it's actually really quite lovely. Beautiful melodies, his voice is stunning, evocative, emotional, arrangements vary between sparse, spine-shivering, and orchestral and rich. Of course there are still plenty of folky and americana bits that just isn't my taste in music, but really they don't bother me. I'm actually quite baffled and amazed about what is it about this album that I like so much, given my strong aversion to folk music. I can't believe it, but am I about to give a 5 to a folk album?? Favourites: White Winter Hymnal of course (sang it in my choral group) Meadowlarks - beautiful sparse arrangement, maybe a bit too much reverb
Outstanding. Loved it as a kid -- like it even more now. Blue Ridge Mountains is a damn near flawless song and the album has some killer mystique. 5/5
Oh my god I'm a little biased because I already knew of this album, but seriously I love it. The highly emotional vocal performance, the almost classical elements of the compositions, the timeless feel of the lyric content and music, the masterful production. A nearly perfect album that has resonated with me since I first listened to it, no matter what walk of life I'm at.
A classic. Means a lot to me. Heavenly vocals, incredibly well crafted songs. personal highlight: Your Protector, Ragged Wood and Oliver James.
Holiday cheer may have inspired me to give this a more favorable rating, but it _is_ a great album
One of my favourites, always puts me in a good mood. I slightly prefer helplessness blues but this is still great
This was a really really good album. Definitely my kind of music and I’d never heard of them before. Fav: white winter hymnal
This is a really amazing album. Totally unique and beautiful. I've listened to this a few times and always liked it, especially White Winter Hymnal. I was thinking 4 stars, but on listening to it again I'm going to go with 5 stars.
awesome indie - 10/10 favorite song is probably Blue Ridge Mountains, I’m a sucker for that naturey indie stuff - Vashti Bunyan type stuff
Fells like they invented a nee genre with this album. If it has a weakness it is that is lacks an emotional theme that resonates with me. Red squirrels etc. Cover art 5/5 Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Who'd have thought a painting from 1559 could make a great cover..
Very unique and good indie album with songs I already enjoy. White Winter Hymnal and Ragged Wood are the faves. Strength of the album with some favorites pushes it from a 4.5 to a 5.
Ah this is such a special album to me. I had it on CD and it was a gift when I was about 16. It's absolutely stunning and has done me a solid many times over the years when I've been anxious and this album has instantly relaxed me. Your Protector is a huge highlight and also Meadowlark. I don't know if I've ever heard anything like Fleet Foxes anywhere else, the harmonies and the voices are so unique and absolutely stunning and this is their best album ever. The artwork is iconic too. It looks so dry at first but the more you look closely there's all kinds of unusual and exciting things going on!
A beautiful and immersive album. One that sounds not of any time, and is incredibly coherent. Adore it. 5/5
Already a fan, but incredible album. Instrumentation is wide and full. Songs are direct and compelling.
What can I say but I'm a sucker for this type of indie folk. I've always loved and it is just scratches an itch. Yeah there is a lot of similarity but I can't help it, I just eat this shit up.
It’s so nice. The sound is fantastic, love the quality of the background vocals. Hearing the production on this album makes me wish my favorite albums from the 60s and 70s could’ve been recorded with today’s better sound equipment. Feels so fresh
The first album I've drawn that I already have loved for years! I wrote so many papers to this in college a decade ago and still keep coming back.
Ovaj bend je definicija jesenske glazbe, jednostavno se poistovjećujem, čim čujem glas Robina Pecknolda - odma me baci u onaj najdivniji dio godine, rana lagana jesen, gdje još ima ponešto lišća, sunce sja, trenerka gornja se nosi, nije toliko hladno, lagani vjetar puše, možeš disat i jednostavno upijat divnoće koja ti priroda pruža - zajedno sa Fleet Foxesima, naravno. Nešta sam ovih dana dosta dobar, samo petice frče - ali uglavnom, da. Ovaj album je dosta divan i kažem, čim jesen dođe Fleet Foxesi se pojačano slušaju.
This is a formative album for me personally as it was the push that got me to get into independent music. Aside from my personal attachment to this album and band, it is excellent musically. This album takes influences from the Beach Boys, the British folk revival, and others to create a textured soundscape that evokes a certain timelessness. The songs on this album sound like they could have been written yesterday or 50 years ago. They draw upon pastoralism while discussing modern themes of belonging and one's role in the world. Furthermore, this album is immediately accessible due to Robin Pecknold's giftedness with melody.
Love this album. It feels like a warm blanket. The layers of sounds in each song are lovely.
I was not expecting this... I have heard of Fleet Foxes and vaguely remembered them as an indie band. This was not what I expected. The musicians are exquisite. The music is exquisite. I loved every song. Some of the particular ones that really stood out on this stand out album included "White Winter Hymnal", "He Doesn't Know Why", "Your Protector", "Meadowlarks", and "Blue Ridge Mountains." But every song is worth listening to. This is a really special album that I am so thankful to now know.
I've heard of Fleet Foxes but I've never listened to them. If I've heard any of these songs before, I think I probably assumed it was a group from the 60s or early 70s. I'm reminded of Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Neil Young. Lyrics have a specificity that give them emotional heft beyond the usual clichés. Very nice indeed.
Oh, this was a happy discovery! I am sure I have heard "White Winter Hymnal" before somewhere, but I wasn't familiar with Fleet Foxes before. I happily listened 3+ times today. I am intrigued by the sprinkling of random names in the songs. Who is Michael? Who is Jesse? Sean? All the songs are my favorite! "White Winter Hymnal" is a beautiful piece with its harmonies, instrumentation, and percussion. "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and "Your Protector" are both beautiful and a little scary. "Meadowlarks" and "Blue Ridge Mountains" are just lovely and timeless (except for that connecting flight reference). This is a group I can't wait to hear more from, and the rare occasion where I want to go to the bonus discs!
There's never a wrong time for Fleet Foxes.... which is why I'm never allowed to DJ at parties.