Fleet Foxes are a band who can make you completely reimagine your own upbringing
in the space of a two hour set. Did I spend my youth working farms in
America’s dust bowl region, rocking hay-chafed aching muscles to sleep
to the sounds of Woodie Guthrie? Neither did they! But through
their rustic timbre, allegorical lyrics and pure, dynamic musicianship,
Fleet Foxes would have you believe it.
Front man Robin Pecknold’s has a voice that opens and folds
like a dusty once-loved anthology, there’s so much history in his tone:
listening, I was like a child lost in wonderment in an Autumn-leafed orchid somewhere… Had it not been for the witty banter the band tossed around between each track to bring us all back to earth aka. The Sydney Concert Hall. Namely from drummer/percussionist Joshua Tillman:
who often carried the beat in a beautifully loose-limbed style like a
weeping willow draped across the kit, often wielding a maraca or
tambourine in place of one stick. He appeared for the encore wearing a
backpack in an attempt to partake in an “Australian fad” of gym-gear
wearing nerds. Who knew we were so cool?
Another thing about quality folk bands like Fleet Foxes is that there always seems to be one unassuming (usually long bearded) member, in this case Morgan Henderson, who seems to change instruments every song; or key change even! He went from dappling the folk flute like morning light over the edges of “Lorelai” to scratching a sax into the third movement of “The Shrine / An Argument”: one of the most expansive and alluring songs; you need to pack a swag just to listen to it. (Do so and watch the video here.)
And it’s not a journey anyone wanted to end… fortunately the three encore tracks “Sun it Rises” (Fleet Foxes, 2008), followed by a relatively new painfully beautiful acoustic Robin sang solo, “I Let You” (MUST SEE below) before rounding up the cattle for a standing ovation to "Helplessness Blues".
At which point I leant over to my friend and said “Let’s crawl into the awe-inspiring musical bearded heads and live forever."
If you're not moved by this you must be dead inside...
The Zed
Jan 4, 2012
Dec 19, 2011
Top 50 Albums and Tracks of 2011
2011 has been epic musically: I actually feel aurally exhausted – in the most
fulfilling way possible though – as you do after any good festival, as opposed
to sitting through an X-factor ad (Quick. Load. Fire.)
It was harder than last year to pick my
top 50 albums (which include a few of my favourite EP’s)… I think because
the wealth of quality albums produced has caused me to burn through them rain-man style.
Let’s
just say a lot of red wine has been consumed in the process – ok who am I
kidding - a lot of red wine has been consumed in general; but it’s true in
saying that I like to absorb an album, let it swill on the palette like my little liquid friend. This usually involves taking it
walking alone with me, falling asleep to it (rendering your play count an unreliable source mind you), or drinking and writing
poetry to it… (yes I know, could I BE anymore try-hard hipster?)
Oh
the many nights I’ve woken up spooning my laptop (one leg splayed over)... it's actually
quite tragic. Will I ever love anyone
as much as I do my itunes library? The question still remains...
In
conclusion, I need to get out more, and you, dear friends, need to get into these albums more.
There are some obvious choices and some that I'm hoping, the little fibres in your inner ears are waving in like air traffic controllers - and you didn't even know it!
So pour yourself a glass/mug/handful/bed-full of red and get yourself aurally exhausted.
There are some obvious choices and some that I'm hoping, the little fibres in your inner ears are waving in like air traffic controllers - and you didn't even know it!
So pour yourself a glass/mug/handful/bed-full of red and get yourself aurally exhausted.
1.
M83 – Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming
Fave
Tracks: New Maps, Wait
Fave tracks: The Shrine / An Argument, The Plains / Bitter Dancer
3. Modeselektor – Monkeytown
Fave tracks: Green light go, This
4.
The Middle East – I Want That You Are Always Happy
Fave
Tracks: Deep Water, Very Many
5.
Shabazz Palaces – Black Up
Fave
tracks: Are you... Can you... Were you? (felt), Recollections of the Wraith
6. Clams Casino - Instrumental Mixtape
Fave Tracks: Numb, Motivation
7. Washed Out - Within and Without
Fave Tracks: Soft, You and I
8.
Atlas Sound - Parrallax
Fave
tracks: Amplifiers, Terra Incognita
9.
Panda Bear – Tomboy
Fave
Tracks: Last Night at the Jetty, Drone
10.
Sbtrkt – Sbtrkt
Fave
tracks: Trials of the Past, Go Bang
11.
Real Estate – Days
Fave
tracks: Green Aisles, Out of Tune
12. Youth Lagoon - The Year of Hibernation
Fave Tracks: July, Cannons
38. Cass McCombs - Wit's End
Fave Tracks: Hermit's Cave, County Line
39. The Field - Looping State of Mind
Fave Tracks: Then It's White, Burned Out
45. Oliver Tank - Dreams EP
Fave Tracks: Last Night I Heard Everything in Slow Motion, The Last Night
Fave Tracks: July, Cannons
13.
White Denim – D
Fave
Tracks: Street Joy, Drug
14.
Holy Other – With You EP
Fave
tracks: With You, Touch
15.
Elite Gymnastics – Ruin 1 + 2
Fave
tracks: Onamori, Minneapolis Belongs to You
16.
CANT – Dreams Come True
Fave
tracks: Believe, Rises Silent
17.
Bon Iver – Bon Iver
Fave
tracks: Michicant, Holocene
18.
Young Galaxy – Shapeshifting
Fave
tracks: The Angels are surely Weeping, Peripheral Visionaries
19.
The Weeknd – House of Balloons
Fave
tracks: House of Balloons / Glass Table Girls, What You Need
20.
Seekae - +Dome
Fave
tracks: Mingus, Gnor
21.
Snowman – Absence
Fave
tracks: Absence, Hyena
22.
James Blake – James Blake
Fave
tracks: The Wilhelm Scream, To Care (Like You)
23.
Apparat – The Devil’s Walk
Fave
tracks: Your House is My World, Song of Los
24.
Sleep Forever Over – Forever
Fave
tracks: Romantic Streams
25.
Radiohead – The King of Limbs
Fave
Tracks: Codex, Give Up the Ghost
26.
Oscar + Martin – For You
Chaine
Maille, You’re all I think About
27.
Nicolas Jaar – Space is Only Noise
Fave
tracks: Colomb, Spectors of the Future
28.
Oh Mercy – Great Barrier Grief
Fave
tracks: Let Me Go, Tenderness
29.
Apollo Brown – Clouds
Fave
tracks: Never in a Million Years, Seed of Memory
30.
Girls – Father Son and Holy Ghost
Fave
tracks: Vomit, Forgiveness
31.
Gauntlet Hair – Gauntlet Hair
Fave
tracks: Keep time, Top Bunk
32.
Lykke Li – Wounded Rhymes
Fave tracks: I Know Places, Love Out of Lust
33.
SebastiAn – Total
Fave
tracks: Arabest, Embody
34.
Husky – Forever So
Fave
tracks: Tidal Wave, Forever So
35.
Schlomo – Bad Vibes
Fave
tracks: It Was Whatever, Seriously
36.
Active Child – You are all I See
Fave
tracks: High Priestess, Playin’ House (remix)
37.
Architecture in Helsinki – Moment Bends
Fave
tracks: That Beep, Contact High
38. Cass McCombs - Wit's End
Fave Tracks: Hermit's Cave, County Line
39. The Field - Looping State of Mind
Fave Tracks: Then It's White, Burned Out
40.
The Drums – Portamento
Fave
tracks: What You Were, I Need a Doctor
41. Bombay Bicycle Club - A Different Kind of Fix
Fave Tracks: How Can You Swallow So Much Sleep, What You Want
42. Little Dragon - Ritual Union
Fave Tracks: Ritual Union, Crystalfilm
43. We Are Trees - Girlfriend EP
Fave Tracks: Colorado, Girlfriend
44. Burial - Street Halo EP
Fave Tracks: Stolen Dog, Street Halo
45. Oliver Tank - Dreams EP
Fave Tracks: Last Night I Heard Everything in Slow Motion, The Last Night
46. Yuck - Yuck
Fave Tracks: Get Away, Rubber
47. Peaking Lights - 939
Fave Tracks: Tiger Eyes (Laid Back), All the Sun That Shines
48. Wu Lyf - Go Tell Fire to the Mountain
Fave Tracks: Heavy Pop, Dirt
49. The Antlers - Burst Apart
Fave Tracks: French Exit, Corsicana
50. Jacques Green - Another Girl EP
Fave Tracks: Another Girl, The Look (Mark Flash remix)
Fave Tracks: Heavy Pop, Dirt
49. The Antlers - Burst Apart
Fave Tracks: French Exit, Corsicana
50. Jacques Green - Another Girl EP
Fave Tracks: Another Girl, The Look (Mark Flash remix)
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