"Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes" Just Beautiful

 


    Few albums elicit such an immense feeling of peace and warmth as this album does for me. Whether it's a nice sunny afternoon, or a Sunday morning where I'm hungover just looking for something to center myself on, this album has it. I cannot overstate how pretty I think this album is. I think if you're going to listen to it you need some sun while you're doing it. I don't care if you're just sitting down, or in the middle of a road trip, but my preference is a nice walk while the sun shines down on your face. It was almost annoying having to do score every track because I'd have to look down at my phone and jot down my thoughts, but I did it. So without further ado, my track-by-track review.

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes 

Sun It Rises - 80/100 I realize now that with the second track a lot of people associate this album with the winter, but originally I felt like this was a summer album to me. Regardless, I think this is a great intro that perfectly fits it's name. It really does feel like waking up, having the sun shine on your face as you start your day.

White Winter Hymnal - 95/100 What more do I need to say about a song so soft and sweet? It really just picks up where the first song left off with the day still feeling like it just started.

Ragged Wood - 90/100 Here the album picks up it's pace and listeners are rewarded greatly for it. If you're wondering after I listened to this album I was convinced I would become folks biggest fan.

Tiger Mountain Pleasant Song - 90/100 Fleet Foxes reminds me of Florence + The Machine in the sense that both of their earlier work possesses this mystical/magical quality that I think is lost in their later work. I'm not saying I dislike their later work, I loved Shore, but it's just not the same if that makes sense.

Quiet Houses - 80/100 Mainly just instrumental but a great track nonetheless. It doesn't need that many words to move you. You just put it on and you can feel the optimism slowly rise within and warm you up. 

He Doesn't Know Why - 95/100 This might be one of my favourite tracks off of the album. I just love when everything goes quiet and he just belts out into the void the line "There's nothing I can do." Of course that it to say nothing of everything before it which is once again ridiculously beautiful. I even like the solo piano outro at the end.

Heard Them Stirring - 80/100 Once again another instrumental track but it really could feel like a passage or journey through a magical woods or something.

Your Protector - 90/100 Truly a majestic and lush song, I'm not always craving this sound or album, but when I am it just feels so immaculate. 

Meadowlarks - 75/100 I'll admit I don't think this album ends the strongest but I think it has more to do with how slow it gets compared to the quality of the songs. This song is still cute to me though.

Blue Ridge Mountains - 95/100 I don't say just listen to the song because I dislike it or anything, but because I feel like this is one of those albums you just need to listen to, I think it's that good.

Oliver James - 70/100 I've made it pretty clear I think the instrumentation is the best part of this album so I don't really think ending the album on a nearly acapella track really highlights the albums strengths.

Final Score: 90/100

    I just don't get how someone could hate this album. I'm not saying this like I'm the biggest fan of folk, far from it. I will say that I feel like when it comes to this genre, or genres like it, I feel a bit more cognizant of it being an album? Not in the sense that I don't take into account albums being cohesive when I review other albums. It's just that when it comes to songs/albums from other genres I'm more likely to listen to the songs by themselves in a playlist compared to in album, but with this album I really just prefer listening to the album as a whole usually. I still listen to some of the songs outside of the album, but it's nice to appreciate the entire journey. To this day it is still one of the prettiest albums I've ever listened to. I can vividly imagine this album in my head, the sunny afternoons, the nature, all of it just feels so close to perfection.

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