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ALBUM REVIEW: THE EDGE

By Dan Morgan

FLEET FOXES FLEET FOXES

Its not easy defying genres. Its even harder re-writing them. And to

launch an entirely new one with the explosive success achieved byFleet Foxesis all but unheard of. A hypnotic blend of country, folk and acoustic music with

palpably indie influences, the Seattle four-pieces debut album manages to be

both groundbreaking and utterly enthralling in a way that no album has matched

in many long years.

If ever music could create atmosphere, this does. Opening with definablyfolky number, Sun It Rises is glides though its country roots in an almostpsalmic fashion. The chanting style of the early tracks is a pervasive theme

throughout the album, and lends a decidedly traditional, almost church-like edge

to the music.

The following two tracks, White Winter HymnalandRagged Woods arethe two tracks that have received the most public attention. The latter is one of

the more upbeat tracks on the album, employing a full drum track and more

electric influences than the rest of the predominantly acoustic record. The

former is one of the best tracks to be released as a single in recent years. A

darkly mystical and yet powerfully beautiful track, White Winter Hymnalischillingly atmospheric, with the same chanted style as heard earlier on the

album, but with a depth and hypnotic sound that has to be heard to be

understood.

Tracks four, five and six are in stark contrast to each other. The first,

Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, is similar is style and content to WWH, albeitslower and slightly less gripping. Quiet Houses is another of the more upbeattracks, with a simple, repetitive drum track and pipe-organ accompaniments.He

Doesnt Know Why is a mixture of the two styles, and is unfortunately

disappointing in comparison to earlier tracks.Heard Them Stirringis a return to the psalmic style of track one, yet even

darker, and with hard, short electric guitar riffs interspersing the chants.

Although almost gothic in its depth and complexity, the absence of lyrics makes

this track more difficult to engage with than the rest of the album. The following

track, Your Protector, has no such qualms, with openly morbid lyrics makingclear how powerfully the theme of death grips this band.

The Dylan-esque Meadowlands is the most overtly folk track, takingevident influence from the iconic singer-songwriter. This is also true of the

penultimate trackBlue Ridge Mountains, with its simple acoustic guitarbackground and poetic lyrics. The electric indie-pop bridge is the only factor

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separating the new from pre-electric Dylan.

The simple brilliance of the final track disguises the coldly haunting story

it is telling. The song describes the drowning of a child, but does so with such

weightless beauty that it is almost uplifting.

I could go on for many pages about how this is without a doubt one of themost hypnotic, engrossing, involved albums of the past couple of decades, but

without being able to play these songs to you through the pages you are holding,

I am limited in my ability to have you understand the way this music affects the

listener. If I could paint a picture of dark, damp forests, so powerful in their

blackness and depth and natural complexity that walking through them

transcends claustrophobia and becomes a personal escape, I would. But it might

just be easier for you to go buy the album.