Fleet Foxes

That's great stuff. Almost a CS&N kind of sound to the vocals.

I heard these guys a few months ago, before the EP was out; I had actually forgotten there was a cd coming out, so thanks for reminding me. Yeah, I was really struck by the music as well. I think they played DC a month or so ago but I missed it.* I imagine they'll be on the road again sometime soon since the full length just came out.



*Booking agents are under the impression that no one lives in Baltimore. 80% of the time when I see a band's itinerary it reads "New York, Philadelphia, Washington, DC."

I can kind of get past the My Morning Jacket thing with Band of Horses. I can't do it with these guys for some reason. What's most striking is how determined some critics have been to talk around the similarity.

I've been really enjoying the Grand Archives album, which is sort of in the same vein as Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses (they even share a member), but less indebted to MMJ.

I think that Fleet Foxes share a sort of rustic, bearded quality with My Morning Jacket (and Band of Horses), but musically I think what I've heard is unique enough to stand apart. I'm not, however, super-well versed on MMJ, so I can't comment with complete confidence.

The Americana emphasis sounds contrived to me. Given the good reviews, I was hoping I'd warm up to the songs in spite of the overly familiar sound, but I just couldn't get past my initial reaction of "do we really need yet another one of these bands?!?"

The thing is that I like this general genre, for the most part. Like I said, that Grand Archives album from this year is really good (kind of along the same lines, but with more Beach Boys-esque orchestration and a singer who doesn't sound exactly like Jim James), and I'm looking forward to the new Midlake, who have their own take on 70s Americana.

I think my tolerance only extends to one band aping another's style. When Band of Horses did it, I gave them a pass on the basis of coincidence. But the world just doesn't need two mellowed-out, second-wave versions of MMJ, no matter the cause.

Hint: it's My Morning Jacket.

Okay, I'm just being a jerk now.

I think Neil Young is probably a common, shared influence for all of these bands, but what's really putting this MMJ comparison across for me is that the 70s acts all of these bands are supposedly attempting to sound like didn't indulge all that heavily in tons of reverb on near-falsetto vocals. That was, in many ways, a MMJ innovation, at least applied to this particular type of music.

I'm not sure what you mean by the similarity between Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses only being "purely intellectual." As opposed to metaphysical? Do Joy Division and Interpol only sound alike on a purely intellectual level?

Funny, I was going to use exactly that example to point out why I usually disagree with "Band X Sounds Like Band Y" arguments. I remember an interview with Clap Your Hands Say Yeah where the interviewer brought up the fact that people thought they sounded like Talking Heads; the singer replied, and I'm paraphrasing, that he owns all the Talking Heads records and he couldn't understand how any one who had ever actually heard those records could think his band sounded anything like them.

Your observation about the vocal production is true, but I have to agree with Spike here in feeling that Fleet Foxes are coming from a different place than MMJ or Band of Horses.

Spike-- They're playing Leeds next weekend apparently. Are you planning on checking them out?

Illustrative anecdote (keeping in mind that, in most reviews I've read, the second most popular BoH comparison point after MMJ is the Shins):

We were just listening to the radio, and "Mykonos" from the Sun Giant EP came on. After the first 20 seconds or so, MissZooey asked me if it was the Shins. And it was a reasonable question - it uses the same kind of wordless, chanted part that the Shins use on the intro/outro of "New Slang" and the outro of "Phantom Limb," and it's even a Shins-like melody.

So, okay, Fleet Foxes and Band of Horses are similarly derivative in that way, too.

And, of course, no artist is going to cop to ripping off another artist's sound outright. If I recall correctly, Clap Your Hands guy claimed when they broke that he had never even heard Talking Heads, which is ridiculous. Even if he doesn't think his band sounds like Talking Heads, he'd have to be crazy or lying to deny the sonic influence.

In fact, I think the more a band sounds like an obvious influence, the more inclined they are to deny it outright. The Arcade Fire's a terrific counter-example. They sounded a little like Talking Heads on parts of Funeral, and they consciously evoked Springsteen on Neon Bible, but, in both cases, still sounded like no one but themselves. In both cases, they proudly admitted to the influence.

I dig them, although I don't think I like them as much as Spike. I can see the My Morning Jacket comparisons, but it doesn't really hinder my affection for the band. They're different enough for me to enjoy them and I wouldn't call them derivative. MMJ don't even sound like themselves anymore, their sound evolves with each release. So that might make them a better band, but that doesn't mean Fleet Foxes should be written off. What makes them distinctive is the harmonies, which sound absolutely gorgeous (especially on vinyl).

Recently got Sun Giant after falling in love with the album and it took me a bit longer to get into, but Drops in the River and English House are quality. There aren't many tracks on the album that I don't like, but the absolute standouts for me are the double-whammy of Meadowlarks and Blue Ridge Mountains (probably my fave), and I find Tiger Mountain Peasant Song strangely affecting. I never would have thought this if not for the line, "Jesse, I don't know what I have done, I'm turning myself to a demon", but I can't help but shake images of Robert Ford when I hear that song. Pretty tenuous aside from that line to be honest, but there you have it.

Anyway, great music, good band, interesting lyrics. One of the better albums I've bought recently.

I've been a fan of this band for a while and I'm glad to see there's been at least of a little bit of discussion about them.

Their performances on SNL earlier this morning were superb and hopefully exposed them to a wider audience.

Lead singer Robin Pecknold's older sister, Aja -- pronounced Asia (named after the 1977 Steely Dan album) is a arts/culture columnist in Seattle and also the band's booking agent, but also has an equally beautiful voice. I found this short video of her performing with Fleet Foxes drummer J. Tillman and it immediately reminded me of the more acoustic songs from the Iron & Wine show I attended in Asheville a few months ago. She also wrote this nice bio for the band that appears on SubPop.com.

Their new album was just announced along with a world tour! The new album "Helplessness Blues" comes out May 3rd. They've made the title track available on their website for free (www.fleetfoxes.com). Their tour is as follows:

 

 

NORTH AMERICAN TOUR
04/30/11 Sat - Vancouver BC @ The Vogue Theatre *
05/01/11 Sun - Portland OR @ Crystal Ballroom*
05/03/11 Tue - Seattle WA @ Moore Theatre*
05/05/11 Thu - Oakland CA @ Fox Theater**
05/06/11 Fri - San Diego CA @ Spreckels Theatre*
05/07/11 Sat - Hollywood CA @ Hollywood Palladium*
05/08/11 Sun - Tucson AZ @ Rialto Theatre*
05/10/11 Tue - Austin TX @ Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater*
05/11/11 Wed - Dallas TX @ Palladium Ballroom *
05/13/11 Fri - Nashville TN @ Ryman Auditorium*
05/14/11 Sat - Atlanta GA @ The Tabernacle*
05/15/11 Sun - Washington DC @ DAR Constitution Hall*
05/17/11 Tue - Boston MA @ Orpheum Theatre*
05/18/11 Wed - New York NY @ The United Palace Theatre*
05/21/11 Sat- Upper Darby PA @ Tower Theatre***

* On sale to general public Feb 4
** On sale to general public Feb 6
*** On sale date TBA

UK AND EUROPEAN TOUR
05/25/11 Wed – Berlin, Germany @ Astra* 
05/26/11 Thu – Munich, Germany @ Dachau Summer of Music*
05/28/11 Sat – Barcelona, Spain @ Primavera Sound**
05/30/11 Mon – Paris, France @ Bataclan*
05/31/11 Tue – London, England @ Hammersmith Apollo*

*On sale to general public Feb 4 at 9am local time
**Currently on sale

Tickets just went on sale for most shows! Picked up two for the Atlanta concert.