Reviews (page 2 of 15)
Unfortunately for everyone around me. I love this album. Did it spawn a bunch of annoying copy cats sure. But…I love This.
Really fun. Solid 4.
YEAH
This was surprisingly nice! Probably an influence on Mumford and Sons, maybe influenced by The Shins and/or Paul Simon. I'd listen to this again.
I've seen this album on many lists of the best folk albums, and it definitely didn't steal its spot. The songs are all beautiful, but they're also all pretty distinct, have their own vibe. The texts are also poetic, and the voices are emotionally resonant. However, it would be hard to justify putting this on the same pedestal as the giants like Leonard Cohen or Simon & Garfunkel, so let's say it's a 4. Oh and, by the way, I come from poverty, so fuck you to the ignorant dickface in the reviews. Thinking you need to come from a privileged background to enjoy that kind of music is genuinely the stupidest thing I've read on this site so far, and that's including the mathematician guy from Be.
70s style folksy art rock enjoyed a revival in the early aughts, including the likes of the Lumineers and Of Monsters and Men. Not necessarily a bad thing, but I couldn’t really tell which of them I was listening to.
Folksy Appalachian pop, which is very easy to listen to.
No es mi tipo de musica, pero no esta mal
Höga 4, inga dåliga låtar
I always had that feeling that I was missing something by not jumping onto this wagon... But I can confirm now I wasn't missing much, it exactly as boring as I anticipated. I really like White Winter Hymnal... But the rest of the album is just ok... Maybe this is an album that sounds better in different seasons?
white winter hymnal musicassa absurda
I can't remember a single song from this record, but I enjoyed the place each song slowly pulled me into.
Finde bei denen die Plattencover immer interessanter als die Musik, der Nachfolger war auch etwas besser. Kann man hören.
Schöne Momente, aber berührt mich über weite Strecken gar nicht.
Sounds like autumn
This is an album full of lovely songs and warming harmonies. It's accessible folk and very listenable both in the foreground and the background. It's well-produced and polished, despite it being a debut. It's a good record and even a couple of decades later (nearly) you can understand why it was so highly regarded when it came out.
LOVE the whole Album. Sounds so free and happy and melancholic at the same time. This is exactly my style in music. Will check out more of their stuff.
chill and easy
beautiful! especially whine winter hymnal, tiger mountain peasant song. different environemnts but not differnt effects, awesome
Really foxed my fleets
Dropped out of this site for a while because busy, plus so many albums I already have. Finally, something new to me again. No time for a full review so I'll just use one word, one word I've never said or typed before in my life unless talking about a cartoon monkey. Gorgeous.
Not really my speed
it's the 1970s. my dad's hair is kind of long. the bartender at the airport asks him and his friend if they're famous from something. they say they're the rolling stones. they sign autographs. it's the 2010s. my bestie's hair is getting kind of long. some girls in the french quarter ask him if he's famous from something. his brother says he's in the fleet foxes.
Have you ever come across a band where you think “if these guys played a party, that party would be bad.”? I checked my watch a few times. Too many times. Didn’t descend into the depths of phone-devouring hate.
You know how some people can’t touch velvet or stand the sound of people chewing food? I am like that for the name of this band. Fleet Foxes. I am repulsed on a primal level. It makes me physically sick to see it written down and I cannot bring myself to say it out loud. I have a urge to eat my phone as I type this.
decent, chill
This feels like music that's scientifically engineered to be enjoyable, but isn't actually very good. I think i like it more than I dislike it, but I can't quite work out why
To make soulful music you kind of need a soul. This comes off as a straight-to-coffeeshop-playlist production. Sits nicely in the background, passes the blends in the background check, but when it's the focus of the attention, it feels like constructed music, rather than expressed. Not a fan of bands that make me feel like their existence is to sell me something.
Good sounds.
Soothing
Rubbish!
Fine.
What a September 1st joy — I love this band and no one can take that away from me Playlist add: “Blue Ridge Mountains” but could’ve been any of these sweet sweet tunes
Great album with beautiful melodies. Favorite tracks: Oliver James, White Winter Hymnal, Your Protector, Blue Ridge Mountains
No me interesa el estilo
If I’ve learned anything from this list it’s that I apparently have no idea what makes good music. “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.” What?
Ok. No shit. I think I actually saw these guys in concert. This was a number of years back but they were decent. Indie rock is not my preferred genre of music, but I didn’t mind this album. The music was clean and crisp and the vocals were all on point.
How dirty must that bongwater be?
This is like unflavored pudding (not sure that's actually a thing) a blob of nothing, There is no form to this music, no hook, nothing even remotely interesting to grasp on to. There is nothing to like or dislike. It is entirely uninteresting.
It was pretty good
Well produced album. Just a bit bland for me. Favorite songs: White winter hymnal, He doesn’t know why, Blue ridge mountains
First full listen. Meadowlarks is a favorite of mine. I like the album. It elicits feelings of nostalgia.
This is my favorite album of the 21st century. Although, it sounds like it came from 1970, and sounds like it's been here all along. Haunting harmonies and pastoral songs.
Simultaneously sounds like a summer night an December morning. Very pleasant
Man. I have memories of openly dislike in this album. At this point, I would say it’s fine. I feel like there’s a lot of really good indie rock, but this is not yet. It’s not terrible, but I’m not gonna see it out.
It's well produced but incredibly boring. I am not a fan of the 2000's folk revival. It sounds like a commercial trying to sell me some kind of car I can use to take my mixed family (one boy, one girl) to some non-descript field so we can pick berries while the sun shines. The idea is nice, but it's artificial.
I'm on song 1 and already it feels like I've been listening to this for hours. It isn't bad but it is incredibly boring. It desperately tries to sell this fantasy of this perfect rural time/place that doesn't actually require labour. wants to romanticize something that doesn't exist and they have never known. Somehow using the painting from a Dutch Painter from the 16th century without purely for the aesthetic feels the most apt description of this album.
Tremenda portada del disco. Parece un cuadro renacentista o barroco. Es un álbum que tiene muy buenas canciones, me guardé solo una pero reconozco que podría escuchar el álbum en cualquier momento de ruta. Leí que fue su primer álbum, creo que eso es lo que me impresionó, tiene un muy buen manejo de los instrumentos y melodía.
I remember when this album came out it was very hyped. I tried to get into it, but I didn’t really like the sound. The vocals have layers with harmnys and filtered with echoes in a way that is easy to identify who it is. It doesn’t really do it for me, though. It’s an okay album, but no «eureka» they have cracked the code. Favourite song: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
As auspicious a folk rock debut that we’ve seen since Simon and Garfunkel
4 is teveel, maar 3 te weinig. Maar omdat ik vaak het gevoel had naar muzikanten te luisteren die een baardje en een knotje in hun haar hebben; toch maar 3
I am far enough removed from any hipsters to enjoy this album now. Before, it was a nightmare. I mean, who even allowed the hipsters to claim this one? I blame Garden State. Anywho, it's nice to hear the whole thing start to finish. Makes me want to go on a road trip.
Meh
Great album that I already listened to before once, but the rerun of this hooked me even moreso.
It was OK. I had one of the other FF albums, used to play it a lot. There wasn’t much different in this one and TBH I got a bit bored of the haunting vocals stuff. It would make excellent background music for a cafe or dinner party. I’ll try to remember to bring it out next time I’m hosting.
I think this album has been ruined for me by that period of excessive folk commercialisation in the early 2010s. When I listen to this, I have to force my way past the advertishness of so many of the tracks. Realistically, this is an incredibly musically proficient album with a lot of great elements, but all I hear is adverts. It doesn't go into my brain, the music. There were aspects I was really surprised by, like the Beach Boysness of some of the psychedelic riffing. Big 'Vegetables' vibes from Smiley Smile. Ultimately it was an inoffensive album but it didn't resonate with me on a profound level
Listening to this record is such a beautiful experience. While I marginally prefer 'Shore' as an outstanding piece of music, their debut holds its own as a very meaningful record as well. 9/10 [KEEP]
Inte helt min bag men väldigt vackra arrangemang och duktig sångare. Mysig som tusan. Känns som att sån här musik hade sin peak i tio år under 2005-2015 sen försvunnit. Vet inte om soundet är tidlöst faktiskt nu när jag tänker efter. Nåväl. Svag trea!
2008 lyckades Fleet Foxes göra folkmusik trendigt igen med hjälp av några riktigt välansade skägg och ett album med ungefär lika många catchiga låtar. Tycker dessvärre att tidens tand varit hård mot den här skivan… Många låtar känns som fillers, och ibland blir soundet lite för poppigt för mig. Men de bra låtarna är fortfarande riktigt, riktigt bra.
Inte varje dag men ibland har det absolut sin plats! Känns extremt 2012 roadtrip-vlogg av en stor YouTuber typ men det är fan inte alltid så dumt
Inte min mest lyssnade genre kanske men gillare! 3,5/5
This fine. It reminds me of Iron and Wine but I prefer him. This is a 4/10 for me.
has some great songs, most are just weird, though
Fine, if a little twee for my tastes. Sounded like a hipster movie soundtrack.
"Comeback from the mountain, you have been gone too long" Nice lyrics. Something between 2010's millennial sound but better. Calmer. More meaningful. With good instrumental. Gives hope! Again, could potentially be amazing soundtrack. Upon reading some other reviews can conclude that album DOES give mixed feelings. In my perspective it's kind of album you need to meet in a perfect circumstances to be the match. If not! it could be a big, plain nothingness upon good sound and decent lyrics. But also would be a big disappointment to not give this album a chance. Give it a chance and maybe the stars will align. If not, well.. it's still a good album. Depended on the person, of course. Personally, was enjoying listening to it but saved only one song. Maybe I should comeback to this album later in life.
Pretty pretty
Really great album. Great voices. Great harmonies. Just great.
I enjoyed it but its more of something that works in the background for me.
The new Beach Boys filtered through the 21st century...gasp and sit down...
I think this was a really interesting listen, unfortunately I had to listen to it in two parts cause I haven't found good time to listen to music up here yet. But it was still a pretty great album, it's a very calming and like chill album. I don't love late 2000s indie folk (aka I don't really like Bon Iver), but I found this to be a pleasantly listenable experience. It had its really solid moments, but not much else outside of that. Favorites: Sun It Rises, Heard Them Stirring, Oliver James
Wish this clicked a bit harder for me, but lots to love
I like Fleet Foxes, but I never think to actually listen to them. This is a good album, but airy and insubstantial. It hasn't stuck with me.
I expected to be blown away by this. But, except for some beautiful moments, I found this a bit dull and uninspiring.
Can't believe I'm saying this but y'all should listen to less Neil Young
I don't subscribe to the conspiracy theory that the indie stompy folk revival was a psyop by conservative media companies to push America's youth towards conservatism. But a record like this makes me at least consider that. It's not actually *bad*, the songs are good and it sounds great - but it's stuck in the past to a baffling degree.
Millennial Commune-Core. Idk man, I really have mixed feelings with indie-folk. It always sounds like it's trying to become road-trip music on purpose and make it into a big-budget film as a travel montage. I really like their vocals, but every song sounds the same with very similar keys. Maybe I'll listen to their other albums to find if they've anything more interesting (hopefully a song longer than 3 minutes). This is probably one of the few albums that Corinne would enjoy enough to listen to all the way through so maybe it gets 0.5 bonus points. Favorite(s): Quiet Houses Blue Ridge Mountains Least: He Doesn't Know Why 2.5/5
Fav: He Doesn’t Know Why L: White Winter Hymnal 3 Squirreljak opening! “I was following the” repeated haunts me to this day. It strikes fear into my heart. Uh, I listened to it thrice to try and figure out how I felt about it. I’m still confused. One moment I feel it’s painting a lovely painting and the next I feel like it’s going in circles in a dull way
NOTE: You should copy my whole review and paste it into a markdown renderer. There are plenty free ones online. Go ahead, do it. Kevin O-Leary might love this album. It sounds good. The songwriting is good. What does it make me feel? Idk. I think this album is technically proficient but lacks sincerity. This was produced by Phil Ek, who has worked on a lot of pretty great stuff, including bands I've seen perform live. Maybe this album would be nothing without him. I've seen both *Modest Mouse* and *The Shins* at Ogden Twilight, and I own a record from each. They're both pretty iconic millenial indie rock bands. I'm not always in the mood for that sort of thing, but they're *good* bands. I think they have stories to tell, and they sound good. Phil Ek also produced *Duster*'s Stratosphere and *Built To Spill*'s *Keep It Like a Secret*, both of which I think are incredible albums. Phil knows his stuff. He knows his indie rock. He knows how much art there is to be made in the Pacific Northwest, which is where most of his collaborations take place. I have an album recommendation. The Glow Pt. 2 by the Microphones. It came out on 9/11, 7 years before *Fleet Foxes*, meaning it totally could've been on the list but isn't. It should be. Maybe it has too much of a soul for this list. It has become one of my favorite albums of all time. It is a very Pacific Northwest musical experience. The music feels foggy and it takes inspiration from *Twin Peaks*. # The Chart Ok so how do I rate *Fleet Foxes*? Imagine a 2-axis chart with sound and substance used to rate music. I think *Fleet Foxes* has good sound and middling substance. Ok now stop using your imagination and instead look at one I made. I didn't give a ton of thought into my placements. You can see, for example, that Math Rock has good sound but low substance. What makes Midwest Emo different from Math Rock is that it has higher substance while not relying on musical prowess so much. ```mermaid quadrantChart x-axis Bad Sound --> Good Sound y-axis Low Substance --> High Substance quadrant-1 Great Art quadrant-2 Outsider Art quadrant-3 Trash quadrant-4 Hacky Fleet Foxes: [0.6, 0.4] Decemberists: [0.55, 0.55] Rush, supposedly: [0.75, 0.3] "Wesley.goToHell()": [0.1, 0.8] Daniel Johnston: [0.3, 0.9] Jandek: [0.25, 0.7] Imagine Dragons: [0.4, 0.15] Taylor Swift: [0.45, 0.3] Skepta: [0.25, 0.25] Crywank: [0.5, 0.75] John Coltrane: [0.9, 0.85] Midori: [0.75, 0.65] Microphones: [0.8, 0.9] Stereolab: [0.8, 0.55] Bjork: [0.75, 0.75] Math Rock: [0.8, 0.4] Christian Rock: [0.3, 0.35] Midwest Emo: [0.6, 0.6] Stomp-clap-hey: [0.5, 0.2] Jazz: [0.85, 0.7] "“Jazz“": [0.1, 0.1] ``` So, that's where I think *Fleet Foxes* sits. And that spot makes it a little tricky for me to rate. Some other music I can justify a high rating by latching onto its substance, like a lot of Outsider Music. Music with bad sound I can justify with a low rating because it sounds bad. I've talked about the fact that I think *Fleet Foxes* is insincere more than I've talked about why. I'll try my best to show what I mean with an example, but the *substance* axis is just way more subjective. It sits just out of frame of my blurry metacognition. # An Intimate Song In *An Intimate Song* by *Crywank*, the lyrics mention snow. > If I become nostalgia, > You'll always love me more. > It snowed today, > triple layers and mittens, > three inches on the fencepost, > subzero playlist To me, snow is used as a metaphor for the memory of someone or something lost by the singer. I hear Jay (the singer) say that they lost a connection with someone, and say that it snowed today. And I believe them on both matters. What's more, now and ever since I've heard that song when it snows, I feel something intimate that Jay wanted me to feel. I think about what I've lost. I think about how I am remembered. I do a quick crywank. # Avalanches In *Avalanches* by *Jordaan Mason & The Horse Museum*, the lyrics mention snow. > But if snow is like skin > It pulls away so easy > Right from the body > What if all stripped wood is branches > And all frozen lakes are water > Then our bodies will be avalanches Snow is used as a metaphor for body dysmorphia. Jordaan (the singer) is trying to talk about their body and is coming up short. The ontological complexities of the body are difficult to communicate through language. This is true, also, for the ontological complexities of snow. It's something so simple to understand that Jordaan tells us about how it falls and piles and peels away in a way that could be understood by someone who has never seen snow. When I hear this, I know that Jordaan has seen snow fall and I know that when they saw snow falling they saw themselves. And now whenever it snows, I see myself a little bit, too. # White Winter Hymnal In *White Winter Hymnal* by *Fleet Foxes*, the lyrics mention snow. The singer is with a group bundled together in the snow. A character, Michael, leaves the group. Michael falls into the snow, and bleeds. It is an interesting song with interesting lyrical imagery. But for me, I don't believe with much confidence that Robin (the singer) has ever so much as seen snow. Probably Robin has seen snow, but I don't really know that. I don't really connect with Robin's human experience when I hear this song. It feels like a creation made by someone who has heard about snow second-hand. They heard everything about snow. They heard how "Winter kept us warm, covering Earth in forgetful snow, feeding A little life with dried tubers." They understood many of the things they heard. But they never saw it, and they never felt it. And I think that is a prerequisite to make truly substantive art involving snow. Even if this individual wanted to make substantive art about snow with every fiber of their being, they would always come up short. It's tragic, really. Their body doesn't match their soul. Maybe I don't like *Fleet Foxes* because it doesn't feel dysphoric enough. What *An Intimate Song* and *Avalanches* have in common, perhaps, is that they are both written and sung by nonbinary people. Maybe that has substance to me in a way that I can't really talk about directly, but it has substance I can feel. > Between avalanches we can find our language # Closing thoughts It's pretty good ig. I try to listen to the albums with the lyrics pulled up, and *Heard Them Stirring* is just embarrasing. Also, *White Winter Hymnal* has a cover by *Pentatonix* from one of their Christmas albums. Milady knew the song already because of that. Man I didn't even talk about stomp-clap-hey music. Well the short of it is this has a slight vibe of stomp-clap-hey music. Which is bad imo. **W**: Blue ridge mountains, tiger mountain peasant song, he doesn't know why **L**: heard them stirring, meadowlarks tl;dr *Fleet Foxes* in one word: *gentrified* 2.5/5
Loooved this album. It's so good, it feels magical.
This seemingly started a revival of music with harmonies. Beach Boys esque vocals along with interesting melodies. White Winter Hymnal was an instant classic that hasn't lost any of its charm even 20 years later. Great record.
Pretentious and boring
It was okay! I definitely see why people would like it, but didn't really hit for me. Reminds me of what I've heard of noah kahan
A notable, sweet-sounding entry into the 2000s dreamy autumnal folk wave, definitely right up my alley, and definitely a wave with good things to offer, certainly not the worst of 21st-century music trends, and a lot of it no doubt takes inspiration from this album Music for running carefree through the forests and being one with nature
Hmm...this was a tough one to rate for me. It's not something I would normally listen to but I did like. Great harmonies throughout. I was very familiar with White Winter Hymnal but the rest was new to me. However, these something lacking for me that I'm having trouble putting my finger on. Maybe it's a tad insincere? It sounds like suburban millennial hipsters cosplaying as folksy working class, woodsy people.
huh. its nice. its whimsical. its beautifully composed. but generally its not my thing. 4/5 edit: a few days after i listened to this album i dreamed that my cousin (who had some beef with me) and i met at the family gatherings and due to the beef i didnt talk to him much and i was thinking of recommending this album to him but i woke up before i actually talked to him about the album. and when i woke up i actually recommended the album to him and he responded (although at this point the beef have approximately ended)! isnt that a good thing.
I don’t know what I was expecting with this one but definitely not that As always with folk music, relatively pleasant to listen to. I think there’s some cool imagery being evoked and the theming’s pretty strong compared to some other folk albums we’ve gotten Same complaints I always have about the genre; boring, basically nothing interesting going on with instrumentation, and a pretty critical lack of variety. I wasn’t particularly impressed with the overall quality, which is kinda expected since it’s more of an indie album but I don’t think this is one where the lower quality plays in its favor. I hate to say “white man guitar” but that’s kinda just what it is I feel like I probably should like this more than I did, and I do think it’s interesting to see music like this show up in the 2000s and actually gain traction, but I just don’t care for this genre and that opinion is getting stronger and stronger with each album we listen to
Yknow I thought this was gonna be more white man guitar but I genuinely liked it! Something in it tickled my brain
Man, this album is beautiful. The melodies are beautiful, the singing is beautiful, the production is beautiful, the instrumentation, the lyrics, everything. It's wonderful music. And yet, my first reaction was that they were probably a style over substance band, that the songs were mediocre at heart, and that repeated listens would sap the life out of the album. What absolute garbage. This is just unabashed, life-affirming music. Anyway, you've probably read all the recommendations already. The comparisons to Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young and My Morning Jacket stand true, with this arguably being as good as anything released by either. Seriously. It's nearly impossible to find a bad song here. Maybe "Sun It Rises" seems a little underwhelming as an opener once you've absorbed the album as a whole, or maybe "Heard Them Stirring" is a bit too basic and throwaway and is saved by its production, but by the point you're making those claims its already a stretch. Really though this is just wonderful top to bottom.
Richmond park is so beautiful. On Saturday's parkrun, I think I appreciated that more than usual thanks to this album. Somehow it made me look up and take notice more.
high 5 i love it more then words can say. very good songs for my voice too.
Pleasant enough I guess. But I'm unlikely to listen to it again. I tossed White Winter Hymnal on the playlist, but not sure it'll stay.
This was a slog. I wholly agree with the other 1 and 2 star reviews about this album and I can't put it any better. The way this album ends on an over-pronounced "long-GER" was a choice.
Not really my thing. Started it was ok. Then it was annoying and went back to mildly ok.
I had never listened to this before but enjoyed the harmonies and arrangements. The production is excellent, adding layers of depth to what is traditionally quite a sparse genre. The only thing that counts against it is that a few of the songs tend to descend into vibes, where the harmonies and arrangement obscure a song which wouldn’t be memorable otherwise. This may improve with familiarity.
I’m a sucker for this album. It came out when there was something of a ‘neo-folk’ revival but the vast majority of it was stop-clap-hey bollocks whereas this draws from some of the better and more authentic aspects of it but also does its own thing. Interesting chord progressions that can go on for longer phrases (‘he doesn’t know why’), intricate and tight harmonies (‘white winter hymnal’), and songs within songs (‘blue ridge mountains’) all serve to make this consistently interesting to my ears and built on a foundation of good musicianship and lyrics. It’s one I can revisit often and still enjoy.
Peak cozy 00s album. Nice harmonies, interesting songwriting. A bit folky, but not over the top. 9/10
Helt okej, men blir lite typ långtråkigt och stundtals ledsamt. Får lite typ Jose Gonzalez-vibbar men inte riktigt där heller. Blir 2 av 5, kanske pga dagsform.
Yay, something I already know and love! It's been a while since I listened though, so I'm glad for the excuse 🙂 Beautiful, calming, makes me want to go for a walk in the woods.
like 3.25
3 - BAD
This is actually an album I bought right away. I was immediately drawn to its plaintive, pastoral atmosphere. The record blends gospel, folk, and psychedelia into a completely new sound. As the debut album from a brand-new band, it achieved worldwide success. Listening to it this morning was a real treat once again—a great way to start the day.
Alla låtar går i samma makliga tempo. Inget som direkt sticker ut. Lite likt Mumford & Sons. Kanske här Judah & The Lion fått sin inspiration? Your Protector och Blue Ridge Mountains bäst. 3 av 5.
I've heard good things about this band, but never listened to them before. Enjoying it so far, I like the vocal harmonies and the quaint but curious songwriting.
I listened to this a few weeks ago and gave it a 3, on second listen that might have been a bit generous but I will stick with it for now…
Like this one a lot, feels very autumnal.
Some atmospheric accomplishments. Fantastic production, a couple of outstanding songs that lilt through the air.
🦊🍓❄️🍂🏔️
calm and quiet makes you feel every bit of it
Not really for me. Found it dull and samey.
2.75
Love big star!
REALLY GOOD ITS FIREEE
Probably a good folk album, unfortunately i don't really care for folk. Very samey and easy to not pay attention to.
Actually quite a chill album. I am surprised that it is from this millennium, but it was pretty nice having it playing in the background.
Knew this would be a 5 out of 5 when I seen it love this album. Listened very many times. Listened to it this time whilst half cut playing classic league of legends and failing yeooo 5 out of 5
que álbum lindo
Already knew i liked it. Still like it
Feels like a warm room on a cold day
Meh
Not for me.
Beautiful singing, pastoral settings, contemplative lyrics. Just my kind of stuff.
Want to like it more. Just can’t
Not first yime
Really enjoyed this! Simple with beautiful harmonies and lyrics.
Lovely production and arrangements, but the songs aren't particularly special.
Well, I was dreading listening to this. At the time it came out, the only person I knew who was into this band was also a big Mumfords fan (and we all know how they turned out, the massive twats...). Sons of lords and ladies roleplaying poor people's music. I considered Fleet Foxes to be the American equivalent, so refused to listen to them. With the passing of time and trying not to listen with prejudice, I can appreciate the delicate harmonies and the vibe they produced. Yes, it's hipster music by rich kids pretending to slum it, but it is quite pretty. Didn't hate this, but will never play it again.
Interesting 🤔
Drivel
cute folk millennial hipster bla bla
Very impressive and pleasant music. It's got no nuts, though.
Really riding the line between millennial slop and actual good indie. Think I'm slightly leaning towards the good side
Love it!
A forgotten gem.
В общем, неплохой альбом, слушал его в два присеста, оба раза в электричке. В тексты особо не вслушивался, но чувствуется и немного слышится, что песни о природе, доме и семье. Да и общее звучание хорошо передаёт эту атмосферу, что-то похожее есть у Нирваны в песне Sliver Американский пригород, Пирог, Мама, папа, дед, бабка и Ностальгия. Мне альбом понравился, хорошо попал в летнее настроение, из минусов отмечу, что звучание немного однообразное во всех песнях, можно было бы немного изменить звук в паре песен, но, видимо, такое было виденье автора. Подытожить хочу такими словами: «Хорошо в родном краю, пахнет сеном и говном!»
probably chill and etc but not my vibe at all.
Totally unique sound combined with great songwriting. 4/5
Pre Listen: Notable Tracks: Sun It Rises - Woah, this wasn't what I was expecting at all. I love the folkish choir start to the song here, leading into a more acoustic arrangement. I hope the rest of the album stays this way, could be a goldie! Blue Ridge Mountains - I like the instrumental work here, but the lyrics are kinda eh. Tennessee side of the Blue Ridge Mountains aren't even as good as the other parts, you can find in NC, GA, VA and WV and further north. The Tennessee parts are like, the most crowded and gentrified, just about until you hit PA :/. Except Chattanooga, love that place. Oliver James - Least favorite track, the echo effects they used here are just terrible. They are so distractingly bad. Get out of a fucking cave dude! Post Listen: What a waste of potential, likely due to either the artist's insecurity or ignorance of their strengths, or pushes made by whatever studio published them. This album is amazing when it sticks to a more folky, bluegrass and guitar style. When they're just strumming a tune, singing some simple lyrics, and keeping the song low in production and energy. Then butts in the ever frustrating "Millennial Rock" sound that I've grown to despise from albums of this time period. The needlessly added additional instruments, the needlessly layered vocals, the needless audio editing effects, the needless 'Ooo's and 'Aaa's that take up auditory space they have no business being in. Not every album needs to be a grand studio production, and especially not this one. Absolutely frustrating, this could've been a 5 for me. 3/5
It’s nice to find a folk album that I actually like (though admittedly I knew about this one already). Good music, if a bit monotonous. More passionate vocally than most folk music I’ve listened to so far. I’m happy with it
I dont know... Smth is missing
First listen
Zo prachtig. Fleet Foxes is al jaren één van mijn favoriete indiefolkbands. Het is natuurlijk heel erg binnen de lijntjes, en met rustige muzikale arrangementen, maar de zanger zingt gewoon voluit. Dat stoort me vaak bij andere folk artiesten, dat ingehouden zingen. Op een gure herfstdag een keer in een donker Paradiso? Ben ik wel bij. 8,5/10 Highlights Tiger Mountain Peasant Song White Winter Hymnal
Good album but didn't resonate with me.
This is such an incredibly beautiful album and such a composed debut. I've just finished listening to it for the third time today along with 'Helplessness Blues' sandwiched in between the second and third listen. A great band that just exude warmth and heart, and their first two albums are well worth anybody's time.
Pretty good mellow album. The opening song is fantastic.
Such a beautiful, subtle album. Like something that wants to be quietly discovered.
Was so excited when I got this for the day. I have listened to several songs from it before — and loved them — so I am glad that I finally listened to the album straight through. Reminds me of a winding road through a wooded canyon
It's all right. Folk music of this era just never really resonated with me as much as I'd like it to. Not something I'll keep coming back to, except for a few songs maybe.
good songs for one time listening
Pretentious hipster shite. Not the worst thing I’ve heard on this list, but I won’t be listening again.
Beautiful, and a very non first albumy album - feels so well put-together and self-assured in terms of what they put in and the minimalism.
This is the sort of thing I like, but I don’t like it very much. It’s nice enough, but a little too pleased with itself for my taste maybe. Not enough vulnerability / rawness. Just leaves me cold somehow.
Love this, have returned to it at a regular clip since the songs first leaked. Nothing else scratches the itch the same
I’ve listened to this a few times over the years. It’s very pretty - the harmonies, the subtle instrumentation - but it sort of blends together like a big soup. Even now I can’t remember much apart from White Winter Hymnal.
This might as well be the poster child for Indie bands.
solid indie folk record that explores themes and sounds that aim to survive the test of time vocal harmonies, strings, and acoustic guitars are the canvas on which some great songwriting paints unconventional melodies and song structures
life affirming
really droned on, and all the songs sound the same
Whiplash from yesterday. Mumford and Sons with a little Beach Boys and they are like pretty religious or something.
So peaceful
flojardopolis.
A: Älskar att lyssna på Hozier som inte är Hozier. Lite sådä cottage-core men ändå int. Hade hört vissa låtar från förr. Gillade stämmorna mycket samt musikens struktur. Honeslty 5/5 (kanske A-tier, B-tier känns förolämpande?) D: Intressant såndän post-Beatles homma. Väldigt stugigt. Väldigt orange. Skulle kunna forma en homogen blandning med ganska många andra album här. 3/5
I know people absolutely love this and it was part of a big revival of sorts that took hold of many . . . I think it’s cloying.
One of my favourite albums. A work of art!
Mmm not my style
millenial music but not the good kind i'm sorry it did make me feel like i was in a celtic forest for a bit just a boring one
While this record was not bad, it really does give off that pretentious hipster sound. Favourite Track(s): He Doesn't Know Why Least Favourite Track(s): Your Protector
I typically enjoy this era of music but this was too slow and mellow for me. I didn’t dislike it but it kind of made me want to nap instead of itching for more. Neutral.
Chill, not bad
This was nice. Not sure I'll go back, but glad Ive gotten it at least once
Nice album, great for a quiet afternoon or morning. The final track was a perfect ending
feels like this classifies as coworker music but I enjoyed it
What a great album
Immaculate. Always reminds me of camping
It was alright. There's better Indie Folk.
Unique and haunting.
Solid 4.0. Álbum extremamente agradável, produção coesa com melodias delicadas e tenras.
weiß net, hat mich nicht abgeholt. Klang irgendwie alles gleich
Schöne Musik, kannte einige Lieder schon
War anfangs genervt, aber fand den Sound mit jedem Lied besser.
Chill, pretty, light. Beautiful harmonies. Something I’d listen to in a forest in the wintertime. Rating: 8/10 Favorite song: Blue Ridge Mountains
music is love
Absolutely hated this, it had everything that I hate about modern folk music. Felt like torture going through this. No favorite or least favorite track this time cause everything equally sucks. Special mention to White Winter Hymnal for being an abysmal song that unfortunately plays in the Public sometimes. Listening to their music makes me angry. Probably my lowest one star rating.
I had pretty high expectations for this album, based on only knowing the song Mykonos. I was somewhat underwhelmed. Sure, it’s nice to hear a modern folk band and the songs aren’t predictable. But it lacked an edge. None of the songs really stood out and I didn’t feel like relistening the album.
Fleet Foxes (and FJM) definitely had a time and place in my life ... I don't know if now is still that time, but it was nice to revisit.
This was one of my favorite albums when I was an angsty college student. Between the Hieronymus Bosch style cover and having a song about the blue ridge mountains when the group is from Seattle, there's a lot of posturing going on. I didn't even realize that Father John Misty was the drummer (not that I heard any drums in this project). The album is great. I think the group walks a tight line between being pretentious artists, and straight up country larpers. Sure this was before the hipster mustaches and man buns but it still stinks like it. It is a cozy album. It feels good to listen to, it's clever, fresh, and well produced. I think the opening tracks are all fantastic.
After reading the wiki article about this album I was reaaaallly ready to not like it but it surprisingly grew on me. The production style is absolutely something I detest - too much reverb on the vocals and an emphasis on everything sounding like it was recorded in a mid size empty room on shitty equipment. It does fit the style of course, just not one I really expected to like. What I enjoyed about this is that these aren't traditional verse-chorus-verse-chorus-bridge-chorus-etc patterend songs. There's some cool traditional songwriting in here and the instruments aren't so overpowering as to make it sound forced. The singer is absolutely front and center, but he did write every song so he has the right. The only song I thought was derivative was "Blue Ridge Mountains", which was disappointing because that sounded very much like it was made to be a commercial success whereas the other songs are just there for the love of the game, as it were. At least he avoided throwing in a banjo or something equally silly in there. And come to think of it, I don't think I heard a single clap in this album, which is excellent. Anyway this was a pleasant listen and absolutely not my type of music. The way they present themselves is ridiculous since they were all privileged rich kids with nice connections, but whatever, the final product is nice. This is by far the best indie album of this era that's in this project, and it's really not a genre I normally enjoy at all. A real example of a pick that I can appreciate and even like, despite nearly everything about it.
i cried while listening to this. i don't know why. i don't even find the lyrics compelling. but the music, has a certain mood, a certain feeling that broke me. that means something
A perfectly mediocre album The crustless white bread of albums
This was dreadful. Painfully trying to sound “retro”, with pitiful results. Instantly forgettable nonsense.
It’s well produced, and I like the instrumentation.
Kinda faded into the background for me
4.2
nice I liked
What a weird time this was. A group of 20 year olds doing medieval peasant cosplay and making beautiful harmonies where every singer and every instrument has so much reverb that it sounds like they recorded it in someone's dream. It's very good. But why this aesthetic and why did I think this was important at the time.
This record has multiple all-time “indie” bangers on it, but i’m still rating it a 4 because i know there’s room for improvement with them. If this were Helplessness Blues i would be losing my mind right now. I still remember as a high school sophomore devouring the 4 songs that were available on their MySpace page before they were on Sub Pop.
Pastoral and gentle, beautiful melodies, wonderful production. This album has about as many edges as a ball, though. It's wonderful music, but it's very safe and gentle. It's also very predictable, which makes it forgettable. The biggest surprise was the acapella ending to "Oliver James". And then they ended on it. Good for a debut, I hope they do better. My Rating: 2/5
A nice blend of alternative and folk. They're harmonies rival the Beach Boys.
Overall a solid album. Nice vibe and atmosphere. Nothing too crazy or out of this world.
542/1089 - Blue Ridge Mountains is really great. Between a 3 and 4 on it just for that song alone.
Sublime. Absolutely loved this album
Wandering minstrels on horseback, trotting through an ancient, towering forest, but in a good way. Refreshing and original songwriting that harkens back to another time, drenched in reverb and emphasizing unique structures and organic elements. Obviously quite labored over with beautiful production from Phil Ek- all acoustic guitars should sound this good. This is the kind of endeavor that people are referring to when they say you have your whole life to write your first album- shielded from scrutiny and driven by a singular vision, the project would never quite reach these out-of-time heights again.
Like an ancient forest on the edge of a rugged Appalachian mountain, this album is a rich, folksy and beautiful. A modern classic
It was the right day for thos album. Feels a little sad, a little spiritual, a little bit of nostalgia. 5/5
I already know this album! Fav song is obviously Mesdowlarks
More less.
very of it's time, nice for having a quiet coffee and cake to or whatever, but doesn't give me much beyond that
its nice, but very twee. Very 2008, quite boring
What a lovely album. Can imagine chilling out on a warm summers eve, Glastonbury, West Holts Stage, Brothers Toffee Apple cider in hand. Nice that.
I like this. I dunno what i like about it especially, but very easy listening
Great album! Great vocals and harmonies. On my list to see live...
Genuinely one if my favourite albums. Very underrated. Every song is good. Some versions of the album have 'Mykonos' on it as a bonus track which is a great song. Album doesnt need it though to get a 5 from me
First things first, for a debut album, this is very impressive on multiple different levels. The singer has a great voice, and it works well within the Folk Rock heavy album. I can recognize that it’s done very well. All that being said… eh. I don’t personally love this album. It’s more of a time capsule back to the 2000’s for me and sounds fairly dated in a way I don’t really care to return to. It’s great, but in a way that is more able to be appreciated than currently enjoyed, in my honest opinion. Folk music in general is often very hit or miss for me. It’s never going to blow me away, it’s always going to be pretty boring, and all of the songs are going to sound damn near identical. This album has all 3 of those things going for it, with the added flair of sounding like every single other album around that time. All THAT being said, it really grew on me. Somehow, I listened to this over and over again for most of the day trying to find a favorite song. Noted, it wasn’t easy. They’re all very similar, but I settled on “Blue Ridge Mountains”. The harmony at the beginning is stunning, harp included. I really just liked every aspect of that song. It stood out more than the others, as it’s constantly adding different aspects, like when the piano comes in about a minute into the song. It just does a nice job of continuing to escalate and evolve as the song goes on. Great song. Overall, I’m still at the end of the day very conflicted on this album. It’s pretty good, but it’s not my thing, and reminds me of a time where I thought music was in a very boring spot. But yet, I listened to it for quite some anyway. So maybe it actually is my thing. I don’t know. Regardless, it’s a 3 for me no matter what. I sussed that out from the first listen, and continued feeling that it was a 3 the entire day through. Somehow, the Fleet Foxes are a band that have completely gone under the radar for me. Perhaps because they were overshadowed by 10 plus other bands with the same sound, I don’t know. But I’d never heard of them before until today. Still though, once again, it’s pretty good. It won’t stick with me, but it’s nice and peaceful, and occasionally that’s exactly what I’m looking for.
I like Fleet Foxes and already knew a few songs from this album, but the whole thing didn’t feel like extra special or remarkable to me. Just something you’d have in the background while doing something else.
Now this is some millenial music, but i love it
Pretty good!
Found it to be very average
I really like their sound!! For some reason their music makes make want to go to the mountains
I actually really liked several songs and even recognized a couple. Would definitely listen again
Bad news good news. Bad news is that I still don't like indie psychedelic rock. The good news is this isn't a function of my age. I never have. I'm happier sitting in silence than listening to this.
Loved the folk/prog/alt/soft rock sound! Not really familiar with Fleet Foxes but it’s a great album to relax and chill out with. Excellent recording, even on earbuds it sounded great.
I am completely down with this. I want to go for a walk somewhere cold, folourn, and beautiful. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song was especially... something.
Enjoyable album. I really enjoyed the lush sound.
Probably I need some time to rate this album. But right now it's only 2 stars. One of those in advance.
Terrific, highly influential indie-folk.
You know that new coffee place with impossibly hard furniture near you? This is what they play. And for some decent reason, as this is a nice sounding album on the whole, with a gentleness to most of the sound that makes it pretty enjoyable. But I did find the sparseness of that sound a bit frustrating as it went on. Some songs would show promise of being livelier, but didn’t really kick on. And perhaps this felt a bit more of a revelation in 2009- in 2026, it sounded slightly more dime-a-dozen.
This was a very enjoyable and very nostalgic listen from one of the best indie bands of the 2000s and 2010s. The music seamlessly blends indie rock and folk with memorable melodies to create a set of songs that are both joyful and melancholic in equal measure.
As a complete sucker for folky/acoustic stuff, vocal harmonies and melancholy, introspective lyrics, naturally I’m a big fan of this. Can certainly hear influences from the likes of the Beach Boys, the Zombies and CSNY. It’s also quite a nostalgic album for me as I heard it quite a bit as a teenager, but it still holds up well. The melodies in particular are fantastic. The opening four tracks (especially ‘Ragged Wood’) plus ‘Your Protector’ and ‘Blue Ridge Mountains’ are my highlights, but I don’t think there are any weak tracks here. Great album cover too. Strong 4 stars.
The Folksong aspect of the album really helped cement this as a great album.
The little bit I've encountered of this band had me keeping my project paused for almost a week. I'm not looking forward to this one. Let's see if they prove me wrong. Two songs in and it's not going well. They sound like a mashup between the godawful retreats they made us go to in Catholic high school and a bunch of Ren Faire types. Not the OG Ren Faires but the modern corporate "Fantasy" Faires. Like they took an already enshittified experience as their starting point. I suppose it doesn't help that I don't care for their voices. I get that they're good singers and really know their harmony but damn, the tonality and timbre of those voices really hurts my ear. Drenching it in reverb is just the moldy icing on the shit cake. Fuck this. Listened to the whole first song and then began skipping the next ones successively sooner than the one before it. Hit the first three seconds of track #7 and noped out of the rest of the album. I can see there's a lot of talent and skill on display here, too bad it's in the service of sounds that make my skin crawl.
Millennial tedium.
These lush melodies/harmonies never fail to put a smile on my face. The instrumentals are very well composed and gorgeous as well
Loved it. Beach Boys mixed with choral.
One of the best albums!!
won't pretend there aren't some bangers in here, but i won't pretend folk as a genre is justified either
Another forgettable album in this list.
Good album. Nice vocals and interesting "re-interpretation" of folk music. Songs I enjoyed: "White Winter Hymnal" (probably my favourite), "He Doesn't Know Why" (interesting outro), or "Your Protector" (which is kind of "epic folk"). This is 3,5 stars for me. I have to admit that my mind startedwandering at times, so the music is definitely good but not really captivating for me.
I put the Fleet Foxes into a bin marked '2000s indie landfill' a long time ago so they're up against that with me. I will conceded that listenining to it whilst working on a complex coding problem was probably the wrong context, as it definitely has the air of 'headphones music'. I knew _White Winter Hymnal_, it's a song I've heard before and has never done anything for me, and whilst the album sounds well produced, it largely passed me by and on top of that, I find his voice a bit annoying. I feel 2 stars might be harsh but I don't want to give it 3
It was okay. Nothing special nor memorable. A bit quiet at times
I’m definitely biased because I already knew don’t like this particular subgenre of folk music. Maybe this group was the first or at least an early contributor to this wave, which makes the album more interesting from that perspective. On the other hand this sounds extremely similar to a ton of 2010s folk music so it’s difficult for me to be objective. 2/5.
Nice record. Relaxing on a freezing morning
one of my elite employees, J'ADORE fleet foxes et absolument tous leurs albums surtout celui ci et helplessness blues Chanson préférée: Blue ridge mountains
Boah ne.
they really nail that "Fleet Foxes" sound
A : 2 ,White Winter Hymnal; If i lived in the woods its a 5 JL : 2 , Heard Them Stirring
Amazing harmonies and very creative. An album to listen to time and again.
This is the first time I gave this a close look. It's a fairly slickly produced folk rock album that sounds like an update to the Laurel Canyon sound. It's certainly listenable and there is some real talent here, but I probably won't listen to it again. Not really for me.
I don't know how I feel about this album, its ok I guess.
Beautiful
Fleet Foxes just wasn’t for me. I can appreciate the beautiful harmonies and understand why so many people love this album, but it never really grabbed my attention. It’s well made, just far too folk-oriented and laid-back for my taste. I kept waiting for it to build momentum, but it never quite got there.
Quite boring. Only a few songs got my attention. Not my kind of music.
Very pastoral sounding album. Too ok to be bad but too boring to be good. Not my cup of tea.
Some cool moments, but overall, not a lot of memorable stuff going on here.
This was inoffensive and forgettable. It felt kind of sad-bastard adjacent...like maybe Bon Iver or Father John Misty or someone got ahold of some Paxil and it lightened their mood for a bit. Not an album I'll be listening to again, though.
White Winter Hymnal is a all-timer for me. I slightly prefer their follow-up to this but plenty of haunting harmonies and great songs on this one made it a pleasure to revisit. They were one of the best of this era of folk/pop revival.
4/5 - Fleet Foxes at the Chicago Theatre was a transcendent sonic experience. I thought I was floating in air on the harmonies. I love this album.
Horrifying, put my earphones back on to him signing JEEEEESSSSSEEEEEEE.... very scary stuff.
por momentos es una puta obra de arte instrumentalmente y por otros es muy optimismo de los 2010s, me acuerdo de ser adolescente y cantar He Doesn’t Know Why en la guitarra a los gritos, le tengo cariño a este album 8/10
Nice and chill but a little "samey" after a while. 3.5
2.75. Was expecting more stomp-clap-hey folk rock for some reason. Its not that so it’s fine.
I think if I were in the right mood I may dig this a bit more but today it just felt a little sleepy.
2.75 - I get why people like this, but it's not for me.
Fuck it. 4 stars.
Not for me / 5
I’ve a positive history with this album. We played it as the background music as we got married and it was the soundtrack to journeys in the early days of our relationship. I’ve also been lucky enough to see them live. So I know and love these songs. Folk beach boys arrangements meet massed harmonies, and each of the lyrics are like little short stories. I suppose what’s preventing it being 5 stars is the fact that outside of the best songs- white winter hymnal, blue ridge mountains it does sometimes overuse the formula. But I’m really splitting hairs
American Mumford and Sons.
Some gorgeous moments but not enough of them to make this a genuinely great album. I think of Fleet Foxes as a really solid band with a handful of transcendent songs - and that's pretty good! Not many bands can say that.
Very cool. I remember it as quite folky - I forget how rocky it is too. There is some huge beach boys influence too. Such brilliant hooks!
Me ha encantado, un gran descubrimiento!
Some beautiful instrumentation and vocals. I do have a hard time listening all the way through without getting a little bored but it is still a great album.
Oh good, it’s the one with “White Winter Hymnal” on it. This song always surprises me when I hear it around Christmas - I mean I’m happy to hear it, since it’s a great song and a useful antidote to all the forced holiday wholesomeness, but I sometimes wonder if I’m the only one who’s ever paid any attention to the lyrics. The rest of it is indie rock/folk, kind of like a less-nerdy early Decemberists. I think we have this CD here somewhere, but I’m ok with just hearing “White Winter Hymnal” on the radio once or twice during the holidays and leaving it at that. It’s a good album of music like this for those occasions when you want to hear music like this (which I don’t very often). I think it deserves a 4 because of “White Winter Hymnal”; it’s competent and not annoying in any way.
I could not not give this five stars for being a millennial.
Well I need to mark this one down as requires further listening as I see from the reviews how polarising this album is. I felt neither the love nor hate whilst playing through this. Maybe further listens would change this but it was a bit background music for me
God awful pap.
Enjoyment: 10/10 Replayability: 8/10 Cohesion: 6/10 Flow/Pacing: 7/10 Artistic Merit: 7/10 Weighted Average: 8.15/10 Review: This felt like a lighthearted reimagining of the American folk genre filled with heavenly harmonics and airy melodies. The only ding is the songs are so similar that there's no obvious best choice, yet it doesn't become too repetitive. Liked Song(s): Sun It Rises, Ragged Wood, Quiet Houses, He Doesn't Know Why, Meadowlarks, Blue Ridge Mountains Disliked Song(s): (None) Recommend? Yes Heard Before? No
Felt like summer
Did not know that Indie Folk existed. The use of actual instruments like flutes is really nice. I had to think of the Middle Ages and how a bard would perform these songs. Still they have a modern touch. Experimental but I like that.
De loin le meilleur album de folk que j'ai écouté, je met pas 5 étoiles car je trouves que certains morceaux au milieu de l'album sont un peu plus faible que les autres.
Oh one of my absolute faves for my 100th album! Truly no skips and I don’t know if it’s even my favorite of theirs, is it? No it probably is, I just love wading in waist-high water. Anyway. What a debut album! So many of these songs are on my driving playlist (and frankly, all other playlists bc I love redundancy). They feel tailor made for driving through the mountains so I spent some time pouting about Washington. Unexpected delights: Ragged Wood, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
Harmonies are great. The “White Winter Hymnal” is a perfect winter song go to. “Ragged Wood” is one of my album faves. Not a head banger by any means, but can’t help but be impressed
opening track pissed me off as soon as it started LMAOOOO but i stuck with it and it redeemed itself. a solid work that i’ll listen to again while writing or grading papers. strong 3
I love this kind of folk rock too much man. Call me a stomp clap millennial the way I'm rocking with Fleet Foxes. Will have to go back for a second listen for sure. Gotta be a 4 star record for me.
Мне зашло
I mean, it’s chill. Too chill even.
Brilhante. Dos meus álbuns preferidos.
Como um cobertor
Começa com a música que toda a gente conhece e não avança para lado nenhum. Insuficiente para mim mas percebo que definiu parte do folk. Props pela capa
Não é a minha cena
A minha primeira impressão é que é um pouco desenxabido. É giro, é um folk engraçado, mas um bocadinho forgettable. Se calhar com mais listens, ou mais contexto, melhore, sou capaz de tentar
Is this going to be overly indie and endearing? Well, yes, but its not as bad as I thought it might be. Still not quite what I'm drawn to normally, but enjoyable enough to think this is worth its spot on the list. 3.5.
insoportable
I had to put aside my biases against 21th century indie folk with their oohs and ahhs and their reverb and stomp clappy drums - because this album surprised me with some beautiful songs and moments. Faves: Sun It Rises, White Winter Hymnal, Your Protector, Blue Ridge Mountains
I LIKE ITT, typa things i can chill 2
It’s been so long since I last heard this. Too long perhaps! I was obsessed with it when it came out, and it’s added to my list of records that instantly take me back to a place and time without me knowing it. This was one of the first albums along with Grizzly Bear and The Antlers that got me out of a rut of more angry music, and down a more pleasant path. For the most, anyway. It certainly opened my eyes. I dunno how you’d class this, and it’s been copied a lot since, but something down the folk / pysch pop / indie maybe. It’s class, that’s all that matters for me I guess!
Very aware of fleet foxes but don't think I've listened to them, in my head they are in the tame impala bucket of very popular slightly twee folk indie, though as I haven't listened to them I have no idea if thats fair. I think this album was good while at the same time knowing it's not really for me. Carries it's older folk influences well while still sounding modern in some way but it's just a bit too tame for me to be a proper fan. Would understand higher marks from others but a 3 from me.
I remember buying this when it came out, and being really into it. Don't think I ever saw them, but I was into other similar bands or artists at the time (The Tallest Man On Earth, Bon Iver, probably towards Mumford and Sons). It doesn't really age well - feels very silly, very twee, faux-peace and love stuff. Doesn't have the edge of My Morning Jacket (introduced to me by American Dad, Yim Yames, he makes Enya sound like a Russian couple arguing at a bowling alley). Nothing is as good as White Winter Hymnal, despite their best efforts. Perhaps I needed more hallucinogens to find the music deep enough to enjoy, now I can see right through its transparency.
Album 1000! Never listened to a fleet Foxes album before, but I thought I knew what to expect, and I did! It's good, but not sure it's anything to write home about. Thought I might recognise more than 1 song. I liked tiger mountain peasant song 3.5 but on the 3 side.
Great album. 3.5
This album still keeps me a bit at arm's length with it's commitment to the schtick, but the melodies, vocals, harmonies and whole vibe is pretty special. Peckhold's voice is glorious.
Sounded beautiful; put me to sleep.
An all-timer 9/10 Favourites: White Winter Hymnal Ragged Wood Quiet Houses Blue Ridge Mountains ⭐️⭐️⭐️