I'm currently reading Keith Richards book 'Life' and I am at a part in the book when he talks about, early in their career, how loud the girls would scream when they performed. This classic video is probably what he is talking about. Great in so many ways.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Fleet Foxes-Helplessness Blues
The month of May sees the release of four albums I have been looking forward to for some time. With the Fleet Foxes and Beastie Boys at the beginning of the month and My Morning Jacket and The Vaccines at the end, it's a great month for new music. Lets kick it off with my review of Fleet Foxes.
When I first heard the song Mykonos from Fleet Foxes EP titled Sun Giant a few years back, I knew there was something special about this new band. Not long after that, they released their self titled full length album, which ironically was recorded before Sun Giant, I knew this was the beginning of a long loving relationship I would have with this band. There is something so familiar about Fleet Foxes yet there is also something new, exciting and fresh. Their lush harmonies lend easy comparisons to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel with an added dash of Van Morrison. Those harmonies with the beautiful voice of lead singer Robin Pecknold is something you can easily get lost in.
There is no sophomore slump with their latest release, Helplessness Blues. Over three years in the making, they have created a timeless classic that was truly worth the wait. With Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes have found a way to stretch their sound yet not really seem to make stray too far from their core. What really makes this album great is that it is just that, an album, filled with twelve outstanding tracks. In an age when peoples ipods are filled with singles, this album can be played from 1-12, 12-1 or shuffle and each time leaving you with the feeling that you just found your new favorite song. 'Montezuma' starts out with Pecknold questioning the type of man he used to be over 'ooohs and ahhhhs' reminiscent of monks chanting. 'Sim Sala Bim, yeah sing that ten times real fast. In 'Blue Spotted Tail', Pecknold whispers questions of why that could easily have been on the soundtrack for The Graduate. 'Grown Ocean' and 'Battery Kinzie' chug along like a freight trains, while 'Lorelai' has a waltz like feel. The epic 'The Shrine/An Argument', at over 8 minutes, is a roller coaster of a song pulling in all aspects of the Foxes sounds while adding a new sound by testing your ear drums with a screeching clarinet.
Every song on this album deserves your time. Each one oozes an honesty from Robin Pecknold's lyrics built around outstanding harmonies and sonic sounds. While Fleet Foxes generate comparisons to bands well before their time, this is not a retro album rather an album from a band that is just way ahead of the curve.
Here are Fleet Foxes performing on Later With Jools Holland:
Grown Ocean:
When I first heard the song Mykonos from Fleet Foxes EP titled Sun Giant a few years back, I knew there was something special about this new band. Not long after that, they released their self titled full length album, which ironically was recorded before Sun Giant, I knew this was the beginning of a long loving relationship I would have with this band. There is something so familiar about Fleet Foxes yet there is also something new, exciting and fresh. Their lush harmonies lend easy comparisons to Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young, The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel with an added dash of Van Morrison. Those harmonies with the beautiful voice of lead singer Robin Pecknold is something you can easily get lost in.
There is no sophomore slump with their latest release, Helplessness Blues. Over three years in the making, they have created a timeless classic that was truly worth the wait. With Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes have found a way to stretch their sound yet not really seem to make stray too far from their core. What really makes this album great is that it is just that, an album, filled with twelve outstanding tracks. In an age when peoples ipods are filled with singles, this album can be played from 1-12, 12-1 or shuffle and each time leaving you with the feeling that you just found your new favorite song. 'Montezuma' starts out with Pecknold questioning the type of man he used to be over 'ooohs and ahhhhs' reminiscent of monks chanting. 'Sim Sala Bim, yeah sing that ten times real fast. In 'Blue Spotted Tail', Pecknold whispers questions of why that could easily have been on the soundtrack for The Graduate. 'Grown Ocean' and 'Battery Kinzie' chug along like a freight trains, while 'Lorelai' has a waltz like feel. The epic 'The Shrine/An Argument', at over 8 minutes, is a roller coaster of a song pulling in all aspects of the Foxes sounds while adding a new sound by testing your ear drums with a screeching clarinet.
Every song on this album deserves your time. Each one oozes an honesty from Robin Pecknold's lyrics built around outstanding harmonies and sonic sounds. While Fleet Foxes generate comparisons to bands well before their time, this is not a retro album rather an album from a band that is just way ahead of the curve.
Here are Fleet Foxes performing on Later With Jools Holland:
Grown Ocean:
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