27 December 2008

Best Albums of '08: Fleet Foxes

This eponymous album was high on a number of lists, and I think rightly so. The Seattle quintet Fleet Foxes gives the impression that that they have drawn on Appalachian folk music (they reference the Blue Ridge Mountains several times), though I suspect rather that they have just captured wonderfully the spirit of traditional music. But the result is pop enough not to be simply folk, even if it is in places extremely folky pop. And withal very beautiful. This song, "White Winter Hymnal," starts off with straight-up folk harmonies which turn into a catchy bit of 60ish jangle pop. Spare, fresh, and utterly gorgeous. It made it onto Time's Top 10 Songs of '08 list, wedged in between Lil' Wayne (blech) and the Jonas Brothers (ewww).

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