Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes' debut album takes you on an indie folk hike through the snow, the mountains, and the forest.
Setting the Scene:
Robin Pecknold and Skyler Skjelset formed Fleet Foxes in 2006, before recruiting Nicholas Peterson, Casey Wescott, and Craig Curran in the following months. The group was based out of Seattle, Washington and had been able to book regular local gigs while also receiving good press for their performances. For their debut album, the group recorded between shifts at work and recorded out of Pecknold’s parent’s basement as well as Wescott’s home. At this point the group was not signed to a label so they funded all of their recording sessions themselves, but they did have the help of veteran engineer, Phil Ek. By November of 2007, the group finished recording their debut album and after several more months of mixing and mastering, the album was released on June 3, 2008.
Personal Thoughts:
From the opening lines of Fleet Foxes self-titled debut album, lead singer Robin Pecknold sets the scene that we are watching the sun rise. Not only do the lyrics state this:
“Sun risin’ over my head
In the morning when I rise”
But the instrumentation reflects this too, as the song starts softly like a calm night just before dawn, before crescendoing and adding in an energetic folky guitar line. As more instrumentation gets added with a plucky guitar part and some percussion it now feels as if the song is fully in swing, like a day after the sun has risen.
A special aspect of this album is how it is able to transport you outdoors. There are mentions laid throughout the album of several scenes in nature, such as in the chorus of “White Winter Hymnal” with references to a walk in the snow:
“I was following the pack, all swaddled in their coats
With scarves of red tied ‘round their throats
To keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow”
Or on “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” where there is mention of the mountain and the forest:
“To banner fair, to follow you softly
In the cold mountain air
Through the forest, down to your grave
Where the birds wait, and the tall grasses wave”
Constantly, this reminds the listener that they are outdoors and the beautiful harmonies with Robin’s voice and the folky instrumentation further evoke this feeling. Whether we live in a big city and don’t have access to the outdoors, or are too busy with day to day work to find time for an escape into nature, or if you just don’t enjoy the bugs and the dirt, Fleet Foxes have managed to capture part of what it feels like to go on a blissful adventure in the woods and allow us to experience it in the comfort of our homes. I hope this gives you a taste of what the album has to offer, and entices you to listen to more if you haven’t already. Check out some of the album with three of my favorite tracks below, and let me know your thoughts about Fleet Foxes’ self-titled debut album.