I was following the pack all swallowed in their coats, with scarves of red tied ’round their throats, to keep their little heads from fallin’ in the snow. And I turned ’round and there you go. And, Michael, you would fall and turn the white snow red as strawberries in the summertime.
From the first few words of the preceding stanza, which make up the sole lyrics of the gorgeous ballad, “White Winter Hymnal”, I have been utterly hooked by the music of Fleet Foxes. The warm, comforting vocals provided by Robin Peckhold echo through the speakers as if they were recorded in a cathedral (or just a room with some really really good acoustics) and the harmonies provided by his fellow band mates intensify the hypnotic quality of the music.
The imagery of the lyrics is also quite stunning. Even though the band called “White Winter Hymnal”’s fairytale-like story “fairly meaningless” in a interview with daytrotter.com, when matched with the amber tones of the music and the outstanding vocal harmonies the words seem to jump out at you. It somehow makes the phrase “red as strawberries in summertime” sound like the most profound thing that’s ever been spoken. This isn’t even to mention the song’s stirring coda, a melancholy piano solo that says more than any amount of words.
The band continues to impress throughout their self-titled debut album whether it be in the classic rock invoking “Ragged Wood” or in the subtle charms of “Blue Ridge Mountain”. There’s even a few moments (such as the bridge of “Quiet Houses”) that evoke the Beach Boys classic, Pet Sounds. The melodies float along beautifully, supported by simple but perfectly-toned instrumentation of acoustic guitar and organ. The vocal harmonies are the obvious star though, producing some of the most chilling, overwhelming moments of music this year.
And for those super-hip record collectors out there, I’ll just let you know this album sounds SPECTACULAR on vinyl, and also includes the band’s fantastic Sun Giant EP.
Recommended If You Like: My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, Neil Young
