Quickly Over The Lazy Dog

Fleet Foxes
Fleet Foxes
Sub Pop, 2008
5 stars 4.5 stars

I don't know where to start with this record - there's just so many things to like about it. The band describe their sound as "baroque harmonic pop", and I reckon they've just about nailed it. Vocal harmonies reminiscent of Crosby, Stills and Nash run alongside bright Americana guitars, organs and pianos, resulting in a sound that is part Beach Boys and part Grizzly Bear, with a fabled quality worthy of a Joanna Newsom album. The songs on Fleet Foxes echo with the aural equivalent of reflected sunlight, building from skeletal arrangements of voice and string into romping, all-out folk rock jams. The Seattle five-piece's debut LP boasts more 'honey notes' than a sugar-coated children's breakfast cereal, but it never feels overly sweet or indulgent - the guitar lick at the end of Sun It Rises , for example, could have easily been built into an outro or a song in it's own right, but these guys were happy to leave it be. The vocal harmonies that openWhite Winter Hymnal and Ragged Wood are deeply indebted to gospel, the flute intro to Your Protector has a distinct old-world feel to it, and seventies-inspired guitars feature throughout - as an album, Fleet Foxes has a sound reminiscent of another time but, at the same time, no time in particular. We're only half way through 2008, but this is a serious contender for album of the year.

Artwork: A
Using Pieter Bruegel The Elder's 1559 painting Netherlandish Proverbs as a cover image was a nice move - this fascinating oil painting contains countless references to Flemish proverbs of the day (check out this Wikipedia article for details), and the fabled feel of the album itself is a perfect match.