Fleet Foxes sign to Pus Bop–er, Sub Pop

Following lock-and-step with their recent trend of delivering folk-and-harmony inspired pop-rock (see the Shins, Band of Horses, Grand Archives, Tiny Vipers, Blitzen Trapper, etc.), Seattle label (in case you forgot where it was) has signed the much-coveted local outfit Fleet Foxes to a lucrative deal worth tens of millions of dollars. Actually, I’ve no idea what the terms are, but I DO know, however, that they plan to release both a 5-song EP and an 11-song LP in the near future. The tracks on both will be mutually exclusive of each other. The EP, entitled Sun Giant, is currently featured over on their myspace page and looks to be released in the next few weeks. The self-titled LP—which at one point was named Ragged Wood—should be out in the springtime. Labels do funny (read: stupid) things with release dates, so don’t quote me on those.

Led by the 21-year-old Kirklandite Robin Pecknold, Fleet Foxes have capitalized on a growing infatuation here in the NW with baroque and mellifluous folk music, and with those who cite Crosby, Stills, & Nash, Neil Young, Fleetwood Mac, Bread and the like as their influences. As for what the sound is, let us turn to Mr. Pecknold himself:

If we had to define the music I guess we are trying to be traditional with instrumentation and unconventional with song structure and vocals. Few songs have lead vocals, most are fully harmonized. There are baroque pop elements and some folk elements, though there’re no Country or Americana elements. We found inspiration from Trees, Judee Sill, Fairport Convention, Fleetwood Mac, hymns, the Beach Boys, and CSN. [myspace]

Fair enough. But, you ask, is it good? After seeing them play around town a few different times, and giving the digital tunes quite a few spins, I can confidently say YES. Course, if none of the aforementioned influences are really to your taste, then chances are the Foxes won’t be your thing either. I will say, however, that the first time I saw them, opening for the sublimely excellent Malajube—from Montreal—I initially was not affected by their music. In fact, I passed it off rather flippantly as too derivative. However, as their set continued, the songs progressed in such a way that I was a bonafide fan at the end. Pecknold’s voice is spellbinding, and the rest of the band (whose names I obviously don’t know that well) focuses on cascading waves of diverse arrangement and vocal synergy. Yowza!

So, coupled with their upcoming tour supporting Portland’s (!) Blitzen Trapper, and a spot at SXSW in March, I’d say these dudes are pretty stoked. You should be, too—if you’re into it, that is. You can help send them on their way at the Vera Project 2/15 with the Pharmacy.