Every year there is at least one album that unexpectedly slips into the spotlight and emerges as the release that unites music lovers and critics alike. The contenders for 2008 have started to shuttle forward and present what they believe to be the best record of the year. Yet those artists should know by now that the album that normally stands out is the one that doesn’t try to. That is the case with this self-titled release from Fleet Foxes.
The Seattle-based quintet has opted not to come out as the flash prize-fighter, but rather they have sneaked into the ring as the quietly confident contender. Everything is stripped down to the basics with the vocals allowed space in which to deliver their intended impact and the wide-ranging instrumentation doesn’t clutter things up. Adjectives like mellow, laid-back, and amiable could be used to describe the tone of the songs, but that would then be ignoring the substance that thrives beneath the surface of the eleven tracks that appear of this excellent album. On a song like Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, intimacy wrestles with subtlety as simplicity runs riot on a track that could have been so easily mishandled. There were strong hints on the band’s Sun Giant EP that they had tapped into a niche area, and they have further exploited that on this full-length effort. Producer Phil Ek was recruited to help them with the process and his experience is quite evident on a track like White Winter Hymnal because the song is given time to develop and lure the listener in, which is exactly what is needed.
It might be their debut album, but on this evidence Crosby, Stills & Nash are facing some fierce tag-team competition from five rookies that have managed to find the perfect middle ground between folk and classic rock. So don’t stall any longer, add this to your collection and discover the magic of one of the best albums of the year.
