This album was such a breath of fresh air when released, that listening to it now (after a few days of doom-laden drone rock) it took me right back to those heady carefree days of 2008 when we weren’t fighting fascists in the streets, a global plague, or in deadly denial about the oncoming environmental apocalypse. Folk rock has a long and varied history but in this debut Fleet Foxes borrow from the best of it and make it sound new again. It’s the classically-drive melodies, the warm vocals and the school choir innocence of their harmonies that make it so special. Singing about traditional folk themes such as the Blue Ridge Mountains, the rising sun, flying birds, and love and death of course, you’d think many of these songs were centuries-old folk songs being covered by beardie types from Brooklyn. Almost, they’re from Seattle. White Winter Hymnal is one of many highlights from this album, which is of the all-killer no-filler variety, if by way of ‘killer’ you really mean songs to repack your pipe with after a hard day in the fields. It starts with a cappella in the round which, you have to hand it to Robin Pecknold, their frontman and sole songwriter, is a pretty bold statement for a band who hail from grunge rock central. Ragged Wood, which follows it, is the longest track at just over 5 minutes, a wonderful slice of progressive folk that I could listen to for another 5 minutes. In fact, the variety and track sequencing on this album is perfection. Although they’d released a couple of EPs previously, this is one of the most assured debut albums in decades. Their fourth and most recent album, Shore, was released in autumn last year and is close but no cigar. Nothing will quite match the pure unadulterated beauty of this debut. It’s quite special, and has a timeless quality, like a fly caught in amber. #fleetfoxes @fleetfoxes #whitewinterhymnal #blueridgemountains #indiefolk #progressivefolk #debutalbum #nowplaying #recordcollection #randomrecordreview https://www.instagram.com/p/CK7SmvSM8Q9/?igshid=18ugf1alzn3su