Fleet Foxes - musical genius or just too sappy?
One of the items in tonight's show is about darlings of Best Album of the Year lists, Fleet Foxes. Their eponymous debut album received rapturous reviews, as have their live gigs, and the prospect of featuring the band on the Culture Show has long been discussed.
Pet Sounds: Fleet Foxes pay tribute to the Beach Boys
The review in the Times is typical, "Miraculously for a 21-year-old, Pecknold appears to have perfected the art of writing songs that appear not so much written as retrieved from your own subconscious." I think that my subconscious must be an altogether noisier and less harmonic place, because there is something about Fleet Foxes that makes me feel slightly ill.
I went out and bought the album when everyone (on the Culture Show team and beyond) was raving about it and set to listening. On about the sixth attempt my husband asked me why I was pulling 'that face' and I had to admit that something about the fragile beauty of the voices and the harmonies that I really wasn't enjoying. I could see that they were excellent musicians but my reaction was from the gut - it was time to give up trying to like Fleet Foxes.
Perhaps tonight's item will change my mind, but I really don't think so. Am I alone in disliking their music or is there a band of embarrassed fellow travellers out there? Our piece was recorded shortly before their gig at Camden's Roundhouse.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~01~RS~)
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I have the double CD and love every track. Ethereal, melodic and just perfect to be listened to whilst watching waves roll in on the beach. If your senses can transport you this album is a great way to travel there.
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I kind of know what you mean. I've been listening to the album and the Sun Giant EP for the last couple of months. They are both beautiful pieces of work. What I find is that Fleet Foxes are difficult to listen to en bloc. The songs need room to breath, they need space and the two second interval between them is not enough.
I find that I'm overwhelmed and skip songs just to get a break. I can't agree that they can't be liked or that they are too sappy, I'd liken listening to them as eating really sweet tablet. You love it but only a small piece at a time.
That said, I could listen to Mykonos on repeat ad infinitum.
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There is always an inevitable backlash when one piece of art, artist or collective recieves near-unanimous acclaim from the world of critics and blogs. The Fleet Foxes might not be fit for everyone's palette but there is something undeniably meticulous about the songs on their debut album and accompanying EP which possibly clashes with the glut of post-punk and electro acts which seem to be defining the current generation of musicians.
If the harmonies and layers of acoustic guitars, mandolin and reverb seem too rich and out of place in modern music then it may be because we've become unaccustomed to the idea of a young band putting back the effort and craft into music when so many acts are content to bash out the most primitive throwaway garage pop as if the entire music industry were going to end tomorrow...
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I find Fleet Foxes and nice welcome change to the mainstream music scene.
Its beach boys meet Cat Stevens. My five year old girl will not stop singing "Winter Hymnal"
Bud Silver
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