My Top 100 Albums: #99 - Fleet Foxes, ‘Fleet Foxes’

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99.

Fleet Foxes, ‘Fleet Foxes’

Sub Pop, 2008

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The first debut album in this list comes in at 99th place, and while Fleet Foxes have since bolstered their catalogue with a number of high-quality records, it is their curtain-raiser that puts up the strongest case for inclusion here in my view. Fleet Foxes could not be accused of a lack of originality and their eponymous debut announced their arrival on the US indie scene in a burst of innovation and creativity. From the off, this outing presents a fresh sound and unique voice in a genre that was in danger of growing repetitive. The impactful baroque vocals that ‘Foxes have become renowned for are immediately present on the opener Sun It Rises, before we get a taste of just what this band are capable of on White Winter Hymnal, an ambitious folk anthem with beautiful layered harmonies straight out of a seventeenth-century choral work on top of loud, uncompromising instrumentals. In stark contrast, yet blended seamlessly, is Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, a pared-back acoustic folk track that sounds like something off Led Zeppelin’s fourth album, and which truly showcases the precision and ambition of Robin Pecknold’s lead vocals. The album really comes into its own, though, in the latter half - Your Protector draws the listener in with seductive airy pipes and simple percussion before accelerating into a powerful indie jam that just begs for radio play. Recover during the contemplative Meadowlarks before the heart-pumping Blue Ridge Mountains, truly the pinnacle of Fleet Foxes’ oeuvre, a dynamic anthem which seems to only get fresher with each listen. And you will be listening to this album again and again, because it is a reminder of what indie folk can be. Each new release from the band prompts me to come back to the album that started it all - the various influences and inspirations combining to create a timelessness that makes this one of the most replayable albums of this century so far.

Hidden Highlight: Your Protector

1. Sun It Rises

2. White Winter Hymnal

3. Ragged Wood

4. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song

5. Quiet Houses

6. He Doesn’t Know Why

7. Heard Them Stirring

8. Your Protector

9. Meadowlarks

10. Blue Ridge Mountains

11. Oliver James

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See the full list so far here:

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