Bearded Ballads
by Caser
I heard Fleet Foxes for the first time at a concert festival this summer, where I was censured by a devoted fan. "Shhhh, I'm trying to listen here!" the enraptured audiophile spat. I tried to be mad at her, but the rest of the crowd looked like they were at Dylan's 1966 Royal Albert Hall show (if only more bearded and plaid), so I shut my mouth and listened. There must be something to this band.
Fleet Foxes' eponymous debut LP combines CSNY harmonies with naturalist lyrics straight out of an Appalachian songbook. Although the lyrical tone is optimistic, Pecknold refrains from the saccharine. The best songs on the record are pop structured, uptempo ballads best suited to summer nights around a campfire. After a few turns through this filler-free 40 minute album you'll likely be crooning along, the key to every successful Sub Pop release.
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