Fleet Foxes

The second track on this album ("White Winter Hymnal") was my introduction to Fleet Foxes, and still one of my favorite songs from the band. I enjoyed listening to the album. I would come back for a second listen.

Do like it just not quite a 5

Czlowiek sie doczekal indyjskiego rokowania, ktore ma na siebie pomysl, bo wlasnie takim albumem jest fleet foxes bedacy eponimowym debiutem grupy z roku 2k08, az dziwne ze zespol jest z hameryki, bo stylistycznie idealnie wpasowuje sie w basnie anglinsko europejskie, o czym juz swiadczy sama okladka, ktora jest ciekawym obrazem Pietera Bruegela Elderowego zatytulowanym Nederlandse Spreekwoorden, a po polsku znany takze jako swiat do gory nogami, bo o ile na pierwszy rzut oka wyglada to na typowy przyklad sztuki wiekow srednich, to jednak diabel tkwi w szczegolach, doslownie i w przenosni, bo im dluzej sie przygladac tym bizarniejsze rzeczy mozan dostrzec i podobnie takze ma sie sprawa z tym albumem, na 40 minutach delikatych jamow snute sa opowiesci o smierciach, namietnosciach i smutniejszych uczuciach, a to wszystko przekazane w tak indyjsko folkowej formie, ze genius jest twoim przyjacielem w rozwiazywaniu zagadek liryczych wymyslonych przez pana Robina Pecknolda, ktory zarowno spiewa jak i pisze liryczna strone plyte, dodatkowo brzdakajac na gitarce, ale dziwne ze nikt nie jest creditowany na okladce jako artysta danego instrumentu, tylko jako aranzer, ale wiki podaje kto co dzialal na krazku i tak obok Robina mozna uslyszec na plycie jeszcze czterch czlonkow, sklad raczej typowy, bo glowna gitara, bas, drumsy i klawisze, no i jeszcze uzyczaja swoich glosow do budowania chorkow na sporej ilosci trakow, dawno nie slyszalem tak subtelnie wykorzystanych wokali, nie tylko tych chorkowych, ale rowniez glownych od pana Robina do budowania klimatu plyty, co najlepiej slychac na kawalkach jak meadowlarks czy tiger mountain peasant song, ktore sa najbardziej ascetycznymi trakami pod wzgledem instrumentala, wiec najbardziej rzuca sie na uszy jakie postaranko zostalo wlozone w wokal, nie mozna takze pominac najbardziej sluchanego utworu plyty, ktory natomiast flexuje harmoniczne wokale calego zespolu polaczone z tak pozytywnie brzmiacym instrumentalem, a lirycznie opowiadajac prawdopodobnie o utracie zycia lub niewinnosci, czuc mocne pumped up kicks viby, tylko w iriowym odcieniu, ciekawa to byla plyta, pozytywne zaskoczenie gatunku indyjskiego na generatorze, co do pickow na plejke, to ciezko wybrac, bo plyta jest mocno sluchalna jako calosc, wiec pojdzie na poleczke spotifajowa, ale pojde za glosem wiekszosci i dodam white winter hymnal i jako drugi kawalek your protector, jako najbardziej jamowy utwor plyty, ktory zaskakuje dodatkowym czlonkiem instruemntalnym, bo pojawia sie Gwen Owen na flecie, bo jakby moglo zabraknac fletu na tak basniowym nagraniu

This album contains some next level joy and wonder musically. He Doesn't Know Why is one of the most gorgeous songs ever committed to wax. White Winter Hymnal and Quiet Houses are both very nice too - but a lot of the album is just that... Nice. When it hits transcendence, it's brilliant, but a lot of it is just pleasant, and just drifts by, wispily. The commitment to a very consistent but different sound is great though.

Folk con toques medievales. Muy chulo.

Exceeds my expectations tenfold. It's whimsical and magical, filled with imagery of forests and mountain, tales told by medieval folk singers. Some tracks shrouded by the wide openness ("Tiger Mountain Peasant Song"), while others bombard you with a wall of sound full of optimism and happiness ("Quiet Houses"). Nothing sounds more fairy tale-like than "Heard Them Stirring." Influences are all over, I can hear post-rock / emo in "Ragged Wood" and psychedelic pop in "He Doesn't Know Why." The style of singing is certainly reminiscent of Brian Wilson, but he definitely makes a style of his own that fits extraordinarily well with the album's themes. Some standout tracks, but the album is best experienced front to back.

Charming and hypnotic. A lovely journey that softened my soul for about 35 minutes. Thank you for bringing this one to my attention

great album

Ironically I did not enjoy this as much as other Fleet Foxes albums - Helplessness Blues and Shore are both incredible IMO. This is still pretty great, and the best qualities of FF still come through, namely the pounding drums, plucking guitar, and airy, layered vocals. It seems to not quite have the (very soft) 'bite' of their other records, though. 7/10

i actually very much enjoyed this album. I loved his voice. it was very soothing and continuous and gave hope? it was just really pretty.

This is a very rich sounding album. Lush, even. I've generally not gravitated towards the modern folky-harmonic type genres but when this album came out there was something about it that grabbed me. I hadn't listened to it in probably a decade so it was interesting to revisit and definitely *sounds* gorgeous. Highly melodic and soft-ish tunes but quite complex instrumentation. It's a pleasantly short record - 39 minutes or so; any more might really start to get repetitive or suffer from a sameness for me. This works as more of an album experience as songs tend to run into one another but i'm treating this as a feature rather than a bug. Highly recommended. 8/10 4 stars.

Soulful folky indie rock. A little generic but good.

Mellow, relaxing, uplifting.

Bão.

deu vontade de rever Wolfwalkers

Excellent debut and I enjoy its calming effect

لسه مكملتش بس متأكد أنه حلو

Nice peaceful album

Great album, really enjoyed this

Nice to have a more current release chucked in the mix. Not sure how I've never heard these guys, although I am aware who they are. I'll probably give this another spin, thus is really nice and the production is really good.

Beautiful and ultra hygge. Autumn vibes, folky tunes, I love it.

Really liked the album. Seemed to have pioneered the genre. Influenced a lot of the bands that I like, like Coldplay. Great album overall. Some songs weren't as strong as others, and the album seems to be rough work for what was to come for the genre

Really good indie folk with strong country vibes. Great songwriting!

The music of Fleet Foxes has a very calming effect on me. It gives me the feeling that everything is going to be alright someday. The rhythm, the harmonies and instrumentation makes this album a go to indie-folk album for me.

Chill as hell - bit depressing at points

Its a beautiful thing. I had played it too much previously and happy to encounter it again here.

Mycket vackert album. Rakt upp

Cool!

I really enjoyed the sound. It’s amazing. Great acoustic playing, harmonies, vocals and the album as a whole is a perfect length. The one thing holding it back is that there is no song or two to push it up a star as the album remains the same throughout.

Nice, atmospheric folk album. Runtime was just right, not too long. Maybe lacked one or two standout songs but still a good album

The perfect album for this time of year. Wistful, elegaic and full of beautiful melody and harmonies.

A lot of it sounded the same but at least those similar sounds were nice to listen to. Musically it was very easy on the ears and enjoyable.

There are some great harmonies in this album, reminiscent of Crosby, Stills & Nash. Simple in its musicality, this album is a great listen for relaxing or background music. I think I found a new album to add to my library I also had no idea White Winter Hymnal was their song originally! The Pentatonix cover is great but the concept originated with Fleet Foxes.

Sounds like my senior year in college

Good lil boring like background movie music but I would listen again

White winter hymnal the highest of highlights

Secondo me piacerebbero ad Ale. :) Folk-rock allegro, ma con passione. Trascinante e ben eseguito.

I actually like this album surprisingly - also perfectly wintry

A bonus point for White Winter Hymnal

Lovely - lush, warm Beach Boys style harmonies, charming folk. I'd heard good things, but never got around to listening. Quite wonderful!

Not normally my kind of music, but I still really enjoyed listening to this.

Solid album all through. Not a bad song.

Lovely bit of folk

Missed this album back in the day, but I quite enjoyed listening to it today. Has a lot of similarities to things I already like and I imagine I’ll be revisiting this a bit.

Rich harmonies and delicate, spacious arrangements - like a folkier, more psychedelic Beach Boys. White Winter Hymnal is particularly good.

This was very good, I liked it. I knew a few of the songs off here. I would listen to this again.

Perfectly pleasant indie folk. A nice listen. Fave track - "White Winter Hymnal" was a fave going in. "Your Protector" caught my ear on this listen through, too...

Another band I discounted because of hipster love, and even though it is exactly the indiefolk stuff I expected, it I was glad to listen. Reminded me a lot of Local Natives! 3.5 that I'll round up on.

Enjoyable. They passed me by at the time so i will take more time to listen to more of their work.

Nice,I recognise the lead single and lots of the influences. Might come back and listen again in the future.

I like this album. I've never heard of the group or any of the songs.

Musically excellent but some dubious lyrics

Like it! Quite folky. "Meadowlarks" was one of my favs

Beautiful sunset album. Excellent harmonies

I think this would be fantastic late-night writing music with a glass of scotch and the lights down low.

This reminded me that I need to listen to more Sufjan Stevens

Ruddy bloody fantasmal

A really beautiful album. A surprise for me, for sure.

My gateway to Father John Misty.

8/10. Well, I can certainly see how this one was influential. Overall I liked it, it had a nice, peaceful but sorrowful sound to it, and while the album would have been more interesting if it varied from that a bit more, it would have ruined the mood.

Really good modern folk music. There wasn't anything flashy enough for me to be wowed or return to this album often but it's just very solid. 8

me hace sentir como un hada cuando lo escucho

Excellent indie album. Fleet foxes has such a unique sound that is melodic and fluid throughout the whole album. 8.6/10

Interesting and unusual sound Relaxing 4/5

Great for this style of music. 4 stars just cause it's not quite my thing.

I’ve heard various cuts off this album but never listened to it the whole way through before. I enjoyed it. 3.5 overall.

As pretty as a dandelion blown by the wind on a sunny spring morning

Liked 👍

Very chill - love it!

Abgefahren aber sehr schön!

Sound

I’ve listened to this album many times and it never fails calm, sooth and relax. A great listen, especially during the cold winter months.

A beautiful album. Love the soundscapes and trilling instrumentation. Sounds like something out of a fantasy land Saved: White Winter Hymnal, He Doesn't Know Why, Your Protector

Conhecia White Winter Hymnal jah (122 milhoes de listens wtf) e Blue Ridge Mountains que sao ambas excelentes. Chillax music.

Heel leuk album. Net geen 5*, maar mogelijk verandert dat als het een paar keer beluisterd is. Het feit dat het één van mijn favoriete schilderijen op de cover heeft, is een pluspunt.

Great album, not exciting but the band aren't exciting.

Rauhallisen menevää ja harmonista. Kuunteli mielellään toiseencotteeseen ja osittain vielä kolmanteenkin. Äänimaailmaltaan hyvin tehty ja tuotettu levy. 3+ mutta anteliaasti ylöspäin neloseen, koska sopi loistavasti syksyiseen tiistaiaamuun.

Only knew one song prior to listening - great album. Uplifting.

folksy chill road trip music. Beach House without the ennui depression vibes

Really enjoyed this. S&G style harmonies, great vocals.

Right on the edge of a 5 for me. “Your Protector” is my favorite.

Only got halfway thru

was a fan when it came out and it has a timeless feel so has aged well. Can be samey, but that's fine. 8/10

Its an album I'm familiar with as I listened to it a lot when it came out. Thought it was brilliant then. Listening to it again, its ok a few good songs. Not as special as I thought! 7/10

totalmente hipnotizante

I’m not sure what it is, but you can tell these guys are American right from the start. The album has an Appalachian feel to it. Good song writing, nice vocals and harmonies and they have an interesting habit of changing direction mid-song, which is brave, since I’m sure the suits at the record companies don’t like surprises. It would have been nice if “Mykonos” made it onto this album, but I think that was released earlier in the same year.

The sounds of running through a field, sometimes in the rain, sometimes in the sun, and sometimes in the snow. Great sound, definitely a mood album. Because it is a little situational, I don't think I can give it a 5, but a fantastic album nevertheless.

Folk con toques medievales. Muy chulo.

Vibey sad boi music

Very chill indie folk band. Had not listened to them before. Enjoyed.

When you first see that painting it's very bucolic, but when you look closer there's all this really strange stuff going on, like dudes defecating coins into the river and people on fire, people carving a live sheep, this weird dude who looks like a tree root sitting around with a dog. There's all this really weird stuff going on. I liked that the first impression is that it's just pretty, but then you realize that the scene is this weird chaos. I like that you can't really take it for what it is, that your first impression of it is wrong.[7] Pecknold explained to Mojo how the painting ended up on the front cover: We were trying to figure out what we wanted to do, and my brother had been working out some stuff, when I saw that Bruegel painting in a book my girlfriend had. I liked that it had a really intriguing meaning, like there's a story to each little scene. Which I just felt fitting for that record- dense but unified, not a collage or anything. And I liked its Where's Waldo? quality, that it was something you could look at for a long time on a vinyl sleeve and find new little things. It was very easy to get the museum in Berlin that has it to say yes. They were super excited a band wanted to use it and put it in their newsletter. When you open it up on the inside there's a paisley pattern traced from the back of a book that Skye (Skjelset, lead guitar)'s mum got me. We wanted two very different feelings.[8] The cover claimed the Best Art Vinyl Award 2008, an annual award, organized by Artvinyl.com, a company that manufactures display frames for record albums.[9]

Lovely album, real nice and relaxing.

Superb

Love the musical composition and variety. the band sounds raw in a way that sound like a jam band on stage; but the recording is really clean. folky but not sappy or in-authentic. Reminds me of the early work of the band 'The Shins'. love the haunting vocals of Meadowlarks. I listed 3 times. while working, while doing chores and while going for a run. My appreciation grew.

I'm not a big folksy music fan but I did enjoy this (at least the few songs I listened to). This was a nice change and calming.

Quirky lyrics, nice acoustic vibes.

Good Already recognise few of the songs from playlists on Spotify

Sort gad a churchy beach Boys them.

Fun, catchy inde album

That was a great album. I loved the moving guitar parts. I can imagine listening to this on a car ride before a weekend long camping trip.

Love, will listen again

a classic

Very enjoyable album taking direct influence from The Beach Boys with the multiple harmonies and even a little Appalachian swagger.

white winter.

An album I've listened to before! Hard to listen to it for its quality when ive heard it so many times, but I still love it.

Good enough but not super memorable.

Very nice. I really enjoyed Oliver James and Tiger Mountain Peasant song.

First half really good on first listen .

Whether or not the belief that Fleet Foxes had spawned a monster that wound up defining a regrettable aspect of 2010s indie culture is true, the fact of the matter is that the heartfelt, genuine and overall alluring nature of this album is what prevents it from achieving ridicule and scorn nearly twenty years on. Fleet Foxes, album and band, crafted a landscape that leaves the curious and hardened into awed spectators. No wonder it still maintains a gravitational pull. Favorites: Sun It Rises, White Winter Hymnal, Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, Quiet Houses, He Doesn't Know Why, Your Protector, Oliver James.

oui bon c'est mimi

Very well produced, beautiful album cover, chill and relaxing but not especially memorable. Kinda like this review, I suppose.

It was ok. 3

was alright

I feel like this should be a higher rank if I spent more time with it. There's obvious care going into these songs, and some nice indie rock homages to Americana music. But I didn't latch onto any of the melodies enough to recall them a day later. Ill have to try again later.

Wholesome

Beautiful harmonies. A bit too gentle across the whole album for me though.

Let’s do a Pentatonix album (dramatically puts on sunglasses) . . . indie-style. You know in movies and TV shows where someone says something that could be interpreted as possibly involving romantic interaction and another character goes “boom chicka wow wow,” referencing vaguely funky instrumental music that was used to score pornographic movies in the late 20th century and so became associated in popular culture with sex? Fleet Foxes is like the opposite of that. It is the sound of softness. My friends got together last weekend and one of them described a story he heard on NPR about “gooning” which he said is when teenage boys get together and engage in marathon sessions of group masturbation (I don’t think he was trying to subtly suggest a potential activity for our boy’s weekend but now that the thought has occurred to me I am somewhat concerned). I expect that if there were instead “anti-gooning” events, where men got together and tried to remain as visibly non-interested in sex as humanly possible that they would put on this album and have no issues at all. Not to be crass, but this is limp dick music. It’s aggressively non-sexual. It’s like aliens came to earth from a planet where reproduction is achieved through sporogenesis and decided to make an earnest indie folk album full of pastoral harmonies, acoustic instrumentation and reverb. And then everybody was like, “yeah that’s a really pretty album xyZufX-24, but, like, do any of you guys have dicks?” and the aliens were just like “what?” It’s not that I want to sit around in a state of constant tumescence while listening to music, but it would be nice to have the option.

Gave me pleasant teenage memories of ripping CDs, converting YouTube to mp3 files, and finding artwork from the Internet for saving onto iTunes albums. Lovely. Inoffensive late 00s soft indie, before the whole genre was infected too heavily by stomp clap hey ho.

A little wailey but not bad

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.

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.

Good sounds.

Soothing

Fine.

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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.

I enjoyed it but its more of something that works in the background for me.

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.

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

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

like 3.25

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…

2.75

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.

Want to like it more. Just can’t

Not first yime

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.

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

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

I dont know... Smth is missing

First listen

Good album but didn't resonate with me.

Pretty good mellow album. The opening song is fantastic.

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

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.

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.

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

Whiplash from yesterday. Mumford and Sons with a little Beach Boys and they are like pretty religious or something.

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.

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

Nice album, great for a quiet afternoon or morning. The final track was a perfect ending

It was alright. There's better Indie Folk.

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.

A perfectly mediocre album The crustless white bread of albums

Kinda faded into the background for me

nice I liked

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.

I already know this album! Fav song is obviously Mesdowlarks

very of it's time, nice for having a quiet coffee and cake to or whatever, but doesn't give me much beyond that

I like this. I dunno what i like about it especially, but very easy listening

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 actually really liked several songs and even recognized a couple. Would definitely listen again

Enjoyable album. I really enjoyed the lush sound.

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.

they really nail that "Fleet Foxes" sound

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.

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.

Horrifying, put my earphones back on to him signing JEEEEESSSSSEEEEEEE.... very scary stuff.

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.

2.75 - I get why people like this, but it's not for me.

Not for me / 5

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.

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

Felt like summer

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

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

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.

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.

Ok

It was nice listen but tbh it doesn’t feel memorable. Likes: White Winter Hymnal; Ragged Wood; Blue Ridge Mountains

Molto ambiental

Nice

Respect a lot of the craft here, just doesn’t quite cone together for me

I’ve never liked this album as much as others seem to. It’s good, but just not that good.

Not my style but great still good music

Very nice. Great harmonies and catchy lyrics. I've like these guys for quite a while. However there isn't anything really original here. For me it falls under "pleasant but mostly forgetable".

oooo ragged wood he doesnt know why

This is an interesting album. Lot of good songs on here, but nothing really stood out as an OMG I HAVE TO HEAR THIS. I may go find more stuff by this artist because I did enjoy it.

Yeah, pretty good. Unfortunately I got it on a Friday and it's not really Friday music. This is more of a Tuesday or a Wednesday album; Thursday if you're demented. But it's good. 3.5/5. Maybe a 4 if your generous, more than likely a 3... Tough call all around.

The most notable moments of the album: Tiger mountain Peasant song and White wonter hymnal. A beautiful folk album by the American Fleet Foxes. Melodic sounds that take you on a journey. Moments of relaxation and spiritual upliftment

Sad music for beautiful people.

cool

Not bad. Good sound.

Buenobueno

Enjoyed this but probably needs a couple more listens to fully appreciate it, bit stomp stomp clap

It's not for me but maybe I can see why you'd want to point out that it was made in 2008. Actually you know, if is "ok".

Álbum para poner en el auto haciendo un road trip por las montañas, lamentablemente esa no fue mi situación ni de cerca, pero es un buen álbum, con ese sonido bien característico del Folk Indie de los 2000, con algunas canciones interesantes que destacan del resto y otras que no proponen mucho.

This is a debut studio album from indie band Fleet Foxes. The album cover is quite unusual. The music seems like folk/pop to me, and has a CSNY sound through some tracks. There are lots of songs about nature. Overall the album is short and easy listening and a solid three stars.

Hipster modernity! I like that there are lots of little animals in the songs. In fact it's a very thematically cohesive album, which I appreciate. Like a less muddled Arcade Fire. I do like it, but other than WWH it's a little too mellow for me. Highlight: 'White Winter Hymnal'

Arsty and very nice dual vocals unique

Great mellow album with so many layers. Good mix of guitars with spacey effects. 3.4/5.0

Pretty enjoyable, but not so much that I’d be likely to relisten. A little too polished, somehow.

There's an issue with this record: there's an intention, an idea, but the development at times is poor, and many times it also feels insipid. There are some pretty nice ideas, although. I can find the appeal, but there is so much music like this one that is more interesting, which makes me not love this one. Sure, I've enjoyed listening to it, or, at least, it has been a pleasant album. But I don't find anything that would make me really want to listen to it again. It's nice, but not an album I would listen to again, probably.

I didn't get into Fleet Foxes until Helplessness Blues, but this isn't vastly different from that. I do very much love the harmonies.

I had listened to this last year and kept meaning to revisit so this was the perfect excuse. I like the sound and it's very unique in ways, but I don't think I'll be revisiting the album anytime soon and it didn't leave me with a desire to seek out more of their discography.

Nice. Not bad.

3/10

Fear fun is right

Gteat folk rock album. A very pleasant surprise.

Um pouco tosco, pra falar a verdade. Há uma musicalidade legal, mas é hipster demais pro meu gosto. Ao menos, a capa representa muito bem o som do álbum, e eu sempre adoro quando esse é o caso. E não é ao todo ofensivo. Já ouvi muito rock indie desse mesmo período ofensivamente ruins, e esse não é um deles. A sonoridade dele às vezes viaja por uns meios interessantes, que capturam sua atenção e seu interesse. Mas pensando no álbum como um todo, percebo que desgostei de mais aspectos desse disco do que esperava. Os instrumentais realmente carregavam o disco, e sem a qualidade deles, seria um álbum bem odiável. 3/5

it's fine!

I enjoyed this one.

I feel like I’m not one of the cool kids. I’d like to love this album, but I just don’t get what makes it special. It’s lo-fi indie folk. Ok. If I end up over there, at the old record player, playing “Forever Changes” by Love, can I still be invited back to the next party?

Epic, etherial folk for a new generation. Although in execution it is a blend of a lot of different genres and soundscapes. Musically, I found it very compelling and interesting, but I think it will take multiple listens to appreciate the narrative and lyrical content. Perhaps after I complete this list...

i defo listened to this on my dad's ipod touch.

i get why people liked and like this album, but it doesnt do enough for me. it feels flat in places, it glows when it should be dark. i wish that there was more shine to the guitar. i truly believe album number two outpaces this one by a lot. still a solid album though.

Pretty good album, just not quite my speed or style.

The music is nice, the voice is great, but most of the songs are too soft, I feel they need a push. "Can I believe you", not in this album, is much better than any song in this one.

A lot of ambiance and interesting sounds. Listening to it like 4 times in a row didn't make me love it, but I like Fleet Foxes well enough normally.

Little bit too twee for my tastes. 2.75

Amabile

1: 60% MW: 57,27 2: 70% 3: 60% 4: 60% 5: 40% 6: 50% 7: 50% 8: 60% 9: 50% 10: 70% 11: 60%

Lovely to listen to this again. Forgot just how drenched in reverb it was. Pretty vocal arrangements that I adored at the time. It’s maybe grown a little grating in 2026 but fair fucks to Fleet Foxes. They sure made a nice debut album.

3.8

Softboi music. Felt like it's missing fun hooks

I'm not into this. Never liked that kind of music, still listened the whole thing and it was quite pleasant. Sounds a bit like theAngelcy.

I remember some of the songs pretty well, very catchy. One of those albums that spawned a whole subgenre.

Nice chill indi rock. A few songs reminded me of the temper trap and then I just wanted to put that on instead of finishing this album (but I still finished this)

Twee folk rock. Very Mumford-y. I imagine them cosplaying as hobos or minstrels.

It was okay.

Pretty music throughout. Liked Ragged Wood and Your Protector.

Nice but didn't grab me.

Enjoyed the album but it almost feels bad scoring it a three after giving With The Beatles that yesterday.

It sounds well done, but even at a little over 39 minutes I found it a bit of a struggle to get through to the end. I didn't hate it, but I didn't like it either. This is a solid average album. Inoffensive, but not very engaging.

I enjoy the fact that Fleet Foxes unmistakably sound like Fleet Foxes.

Tykkäsin ⭐️⭐️⭐️

It is hard to find folk music that isn’t whiny, so I appreciate that about this band.

The singing style isn’t my thing personally. Otherwise pleasant to the ears. All the songs are solid, none that are amazing but also no skips

Folk but good

It’s not the most boring thing on the list by quite a lot, but I don’t find it particularly interesting either. It’s not Stomp Clap Hey, but it shares traits, more than my much beloved 60s-70s folk. The Beach Boys-sounding bits are cool, but it just makes me want to listen to The Beach Boys instead. 3/5

ight

This record felt like a breath of fresh air when it came out, but quickly disappated into semi-semi-irrelevance. Lovely harmonies and maybe ⅓ of the songs are really good, but most of it just kind of floats by. Perfectly nice, but not exactly a record you MUST listen to. Better than The Eagles though, though maybe getting a 1-point boost to reflect that.

Its a winter album, doesn't play too well in the summer

6/10

The vocals are still gorgeous, but I got a little tired of it by the end.

I'm quite unsure about this album: on one hand I like the atmosphere and musicianship, it sounds like psychedelic folk from the 70s done right, on the other the use of reverb on the vocals is overdone (maybe to hide limits in their harmonizing?) and most songs are in desperate need of a hook that just isn't there (they're pop enough to have the necessity of catchy refrains). So yeah, I guess this is a middle of the road album for me: good as background music, but not good enough for attentive listening.

borgar

A lovely record

Very listenable if somewhat safe album. Very much in my comfort zone in terms of my own taste but maybe not an essential listen.

I feel like I kept reading about them but never really hearing it until now. More folky than I would have thought but it was alright. Nice album cover art.

yeah okay 3.5

It’s Nederlandse Spreekwoorden by Bruegel baby, who cares about the album?

I liked it better as the Decemberists

No me gustó ninguna canción en concreto, pero el album en si esta muy bien

It's a nice folky vibe. None of the songs are bad, they're just comfty

Took me like 3 tries to get through this album. Good stuff, but all sounds kind of the same to me. Wanted them to switch it up a bit.

I thought this album all around was pretty nice

I hadn't realized before how millennial core this sounded. I still like it though.

cabañitas con machiatto

Mumford and Sons' Cousins

Enjoyed this album. It was unexpected. Interesting compositions and good voices.

Dette har jeg hørt før, og likte det godt sist gang også. 3-4

Very soothing but doesn't sound too different to the albums of the same genre coming out at the same time

Perfectly adequate piece of modern Americana. You can imagine them mid-afternoon at a festival with this washing over you. Inoffensive.

I was actually kind of surprised that I didn't recognize any of the songs on this album, because I've definitely heard of Fleet Foxes and it's a type of music I typically would listen to and be familiar with. I'd describe their sound as a mellower version of the Lumineers. Almost a Bon Iver kind of sound. I'm on the fence with this one. I enjoyed listening to it and wouldn't mind listening to it again. But, I found it to be a bit forgettable, which is maybe why none of the songs sounded familiar - maybe I've heard them in the past and they just didn't stick with me. It just sounds like a lot of other folksy, indie rock stuff that came out around the same time, so not sure I would distinguish it over anything else. Very polished and beautiful songs. The harmonies were fantastic. But nothing super unique.