Fleet Foxes
(via gingerkitten @flickr)
Vocal harmonies, warm acoustics, reverb-heavy electric guitar, and BEARDS! These are just a few things that come to mind when the name Fleet Foxes comes up. The Seattle-based band spent the better half of 2008 touring the country spreading their beautiful mix of (what they refer to as) "baroque harmonic pop jams". They made live appearances on various late night television shows and their full-length debut made its way on just about every critic's "best of 2008" list.
The band's brand of music encompasses the use of a wide range of acoustic instruments as well as electric guitar and bass. Obviously this isn't anything out of the ordinary, but the big thing that will set them apart from the rest at Coachella is their use of vocal harmonies. Often the entire band will sing accompaniment to their songs resulting in a warm melodic touch to their already well-blended and intricate sound. In addition lead singer Robin Pecknold will back off from the microphone in some tunes allowing other members to take the lead adding yet another tone and texture to the sound (just wait until they play Mykonos). The group's ability to sing together is something they truly mastered and like nothing I have heard or seen in quite some time.
The band's live sets consist of a great selection of songs from their Sun Giant ep as well as their recent full-length self-titled debut. If you haven't listened to these guys yet, I very much recommend taking the time to. This is not a set to miss out on, and definitely an eye-opening experience for the first-timer.
(via designkiller @flickr) US TOUR
DATES
4-18 Coachella Valley Music & Arts, Indio CA
4-16 Rio Theatre, Santa Cruz CA
4-20 The Hub, Santa Barbara CA
4-22 McDonald Theatre, Eugene OR
5-21 Fox Theater (CA), Oakland CA
5-25 Sasquatch! Festival, George WA
7-31 All Points West Festival, Jersey City NJ
INTERNATIONAL
TOUR DATES
6-23 Hove Festival, Arendal Norway
6-27 Hyde Park Calling, London United Kingdom
7-4 Arvikafestivalen, Arvika Sweden
9-12 End of the Road Festival, North Dorset United Kingdom
6-26 Glastonbury Festival, Glastonbury United Kingdom
RECORDS