Fleet Foxes

(Sub Pop)

Brandishing the delicate, wood-smoked harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash and rustic reverbed vision of My Morning Jacket’s Tennessee Fire, the debut LP from Seattle’s Fleet Foxes opens on a brief a cappella hymn, an enchanting displacement that melts into the dazzling psychedelic folk strum of “Sun It Rises.” The quintet’s romantic idylls burst bright and soft, wandering reverent with touches of ancient folk ballads on “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song” and “Your Protector” that cast against the pop glow of “He Doesn’t Know Why.” “Ragged Wood” races alongside Band of Horses, while “White Winter Hymnal” laces a Shins-ian hum into the vocals. A number of contemporary indie bands attempts to strip-mine mountain ballads in the service of indie pop, but none has melded the impulses as effortlessly and captivatingly as Fleet Foxes manage on “Blue Ridge Mountains” and “Oliver James.” Sublime.

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This article appears in June 20 • 2008.

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Doug Freeman has been writing for the Austin Chronicle since 2007, covering the arts and music scene in the city. He is originally from Virginia and earned his Masters Degree from the University of Texas. He is also co-editor of The Austin Chronicle Music Anthology, published by UT Press.