Ryan's Top Ten Albums - Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

 Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes

Released 2008 - Genre: Indie Folk, Chamber Pop

This is one of the more low-key albums I decided to cover on this blog. Fleet Foxes are a band that I enjoy for their simplicity, and their ability to create lush folk songs that tell a story. Gone are the harsh walls of noise on The Glow Pt. 2, replaced now by reverb-soaked harmonies and plucky guitars and strings, this is pure folk music and it usually serves as a nice change pace from the other music I frequently listen to. Critics often call this album one of the best albums of the 2000s, and one of the best debut albums of all time, and I can’t argue with them!

I first discovered this album, and this group after hearing the Pentatonix version of their song “White Winter Hymnal,” which has now massively surpassed the original song in popularity. But honestly I didn’t like that version very much, so I decided to check out the original and I am glad that I did, Fleet Foxes truly seem to have their signature sound perfected, even though this is their debut record. The guitar work, muted yet never understated drums, and incredible vocal harmonies make the album very enjoyable to listen to. This album is beautiful because of its simplicity, it makes it clear that simplicity is not a negative thing, and only makes it easier for each song to tell a story. Some of my favorite tracks are “Ragged Wood,” which feels like a song with a three-act structure rather than a simple verse-chorus form, “Blue Ridge Mountains,” with its powerful chorus and melodic piano passages, (which is a song my band has covered on occasion), and the closing track “Oliver James,” telling a sweet story accompanied by nothing but an acoustic guitar, in true indie-folk fashion. I highly recommend this one, a great album to get lost in.


-Ryan


White Winter Hymnal - Very cool stop-motion music video for “White Winter Hymnal.”

Blue Ridge Mountains on Letterman - “Blue Ridge Mountains” live on Letterman.

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