Fleet Foxes - "False Knight On The Road"

*MP3: Fleet Foxes - "False Knight On The Road"

Fleet Foxes knock another one out of the park. It looks like this traditional folk song has found its way onto the new single for "Mykonos" as a b-side. Sounds great.

Fleet Foxes on MySpace

Fleet Foxes on SNL

*MP3: Fleet Foxes - "Blue Ridge Mountains"

Fleet Foxes on MySpace

Pitchfork's #1 Albums From 2000-2008, A Case Study

The impact of Pitchfork's opinion is amazing. There will always be a top dog when it comes to independent music criticism, but with that place of influence and power comes great responsibility. MFR can say that Frightened Rabbit is our favorite record of the year in hopes of supporting the artist we love from 2008 as best we can: by giving them mad props and a slight tip from the brim of our collective pork-pie hat.

But P4K can seriously launch a band from obscurity to a household name, we've all seen it. When Fleet Foxes landed on top of the pile this year, it sealed their fate for the next five to ten years (hopefully more) as an artist who will never escape a conversation about the who's-who in indie music. Looking ahead, I see the Foxes landing major-label backing (if they haven't already) and hitting a level of fame synonymous with the likes of Interpol and Arcade Fire. This is an amazing achievement considering we're talking about a band who 18-months ago was just a small band of good-looking duders.

Beyond that, I wanted to explore whether or not this P4K influence has always been felt. Granted, 12 Rods -- who may be P4K's favorite band -- are not huge, but they never made it on top of the almighty year-end list. Looking back, since 2000, I'd say that P4K is batting a five for nine in terms of choosing the band that deserves the top and will remain there. The four I question are the Microphones, The Rapture, Sufjan Stevens, the Knife; I do not believe that they didn't deserve it (I own and love all of these records), but none of these four are currently seeing the amazing success that Radiohead, Interpol, Arcade Fire, Panda Bear (success seen also in Animal Collective) and Fleet Foxes are experiencing. Therefore, the question I ask is this: why are five of these nine bands seemingly winning?

Is it the decisions that were made after finding themselves on top of the list in regards to management and musical direction that sets them apart, or is it simply because P4K picked a band that was the expected or unexpected indie pick?

Let's talk about this a bit more, but here are the #1 picks from Pitchfork's Top Album Lists of the last eight years.

2000: Radiohead - "Kid A"

*MP3: Radiohead - "Kid A" (Link Removed)

2001: Microphones - "The Glow, Pt. 2"

*MP3: The Microphones - "The Glow, Pt. 2"

2002: Interpol - "Turn On the Bright Lights"

*MP3: Interpol - "Obstacle 1"

2003: The Rapture - "Echoes"

*MP3: The Rapture - "Echoes"

2004: Arcade Fire - "Funeral"

*MP3: Arcade Fire - "Neighborhood #1" (Tunnels)

2005: Sufjan Stevens - "Illinoise"

*MP3: Sufjan Stevens - "Year of the Boar"

2006: The Knife - "Silent Shout"

*MP3: The Knife - "One Hit"

2007: Panda Bear - "Person Pitch"

*MP3: Panda Bear - "Take Pills"

2008: Fleet Foxes - "Sun Giant EP/Fleet Foxes"

*MP3: Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"

Vinyl Sales Up 89 Percent in 2008

*MP3: Radiohead - "Body Snatchers"
*MP3: The Beatles - "I Want You" (She's So Heavy) - Link Removed
*MP3: Guns N' Roses - "Don't Damn Me"
*MP3: Portishead - "The Rip"
*MP3: Neutral Milk Hotel - "Song Against Sex"
*MP3: Fleet Foxes - "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song"

Compared to 2007, sales of vinyl records climbed an impressive 89 percent. Granted, that is still a relatively small portion of sales overall in the industry, but it's definitely an upward trend, which is hard to find these days.

Here is a little mix of the records that landed in the top vinyl sales for 2008. Read more here.

The Hood Internet - "Single Foxes (Put A Wood On It)" (Beyonce vs. Fleet Foxes)

*MP3: The Hood Internet - "Single Foxes (Put A Wood On It)" (Beyonce vs. Fleet Foxes)

The Hood Internet delivers another great mash-up: Beyonce vs. Fleet Foxes. They put it under the "didn't work" category, but it's just kinda awesome still.

Saturday: Fleet Foxes @ The Cedar Cultural Center

Download: Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"
vDownload: Fleet Foxes - "He Doesn't Know Why"

From the First Ave. Twitter:

We are releasing a small amount of tickets to the Late Fleet Foxes show. Should be on Ticketmaster soon.

The show was previously sold-out. Hop to it. Buy those tickets here.

Video: Fleet Foxes - "He Doesn't Know Why"

Fleet Foxes - He Doesn't Know Why | Music Videos | SPIKE.com

(Via)

Download: Fleet Foxes - "He Doesn't Know Why"

Fleet Foxes MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)
jon@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com

New Wilco w/Fleet Foxes - "I Shall Be Released" (Bob Dylan Cover)

Every election year is a chance for new voters to experience their own personal, political awakening, no matter what ideology they belong to. But ideals don't matter a single bit if they aren't put into action--and voting is the most simple way to do that very same thing. As a means to increase voter turnout, The AV Club has announced the details of an exclusive live collaboration between lush melodists Fleet Foxes and alt-country innovators Wilco that was recorded in Bend, OR. The song played is a cover of Bob Dylan's "I Shall Be Released", which he originally wrote, but was played by The Band on their first album, Music From The Big Pink. Download the song here, for the cost of an email address and a pledge that you will vote in the November election.

As for the original version of the song, check out footage from Martin Scorsese's legendary concert film, The Last Waltz:



(Jonathan Graef)
jon@minneapolisfuckingrocks.com

Cross-published on CIMI

Tours: Fleet Foxes

Download: Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"

08-18 Salt Lake City, UT - Red Butte Garden *
08-20 Eagle, ID - The Winery at Eagle Knoll *
08-21 Spokane, WA - INB Performing Arts Center *
08-23 Bend, OR - Les Schwab Amphitheater *
09-06 Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom (MusicFest NW)
09-16 Vancouver, British Columbia - Richard's on Richards
09-17 Victoria, British Columbia - Element
09-19 San Francisco, CA - Independent
09-21 San Francisco, CA - Treasure Island Festival
09-22 Los Angeles, CA - El Rey Theater
09-27 Austin, TX - Zilker Park (Austin City Limits Music Festival)
09-28 New Orleans, LA - Howlin Wolf
09-29 Birmingham, AL - Bottletree
09-30 Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre
10-02 Philadelphia, PA - Starlight Ballroom
10-03 Washington, DC - Black Cat
10-05 New York, NY - Webster Hall
10-06 Somerville, MA - Somerville Theater
10-08 Columbus, OH - Wexner Center
10-09 Grand Rapids, MI - Ladies Literary Club
10-10 Milwaukee, WI - Pabst Theater
10-11 Minneapolis, MN - Cedar Cultural Centre
10-12 Chicago, IL - Metro
10-13 St. Louis, MO - Fox Theater $
10-15 Denver, CO - Oriental Theater
10-19 Seattle, WA - Moore Theater
10-28 Norwich, England - The Waterfront #
10-29 Sheffield, England - Union #
10-30 Bristol, England - Anson Rooms #
10-31 Birmingham, England - Space Two #
11-02 Nottingham, England - Trent University #
11-05 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire #
11-07 Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street #
11-08 Glasgow, Scotland - ABC #
11-09 Manchester, England - Academy #
11-10 London, England - Shepherds Bush Empire #
11-11 Cambridge, England - Junction #
11-12 Paris, France - Festival Les Inrocks
11-16 Vienna, Austria - Arena #
11-17 Zurich, Switzerland - Abart #
11-18 Munich, Germany - Ampere #
11-20 Brussels, Belgium - AB Box #
11-21 The Hague, Netherlands - Crossing Borders #
11-24 Berlin, Germany - Columbia Club #

* with Wilco
$ with Death Cab for Cutie
# with J. Tillman

(via)

Fleet Foxes MySpace Page

New Fleet Foxes - "He Doesn't Know Why"

Download: Fleet Foxes - "He Doesn't Know Why"

We wish record labels would screw up more often. As penance for a technical difficulty regarding the iTunes version of Fleet Foxes' new, and first, self-titled full-length, the venerable indie label posted a new version of the defective track for those customers who might have encountered audio inconsistancies. Unsurprisingly, the song, "He Doesn't Know Why", is a stunner, a perfect example of the band's Beach-Boys-as-Appalachian-Folk-Group sound. Listen to the track at the top of the post.

Fleet Foxes is out now.

Fleet Foxes MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Top Ten Tracks on Elbo.Ws Reviewed in 50 Words or Less: 4/16/08--4/30/08

Bi-monthly, MFR reviews the top ten tracks on music blog aggregator Elbo.ws. Here are the songs that were most popular amongst music blogs from April 16th through April 30th. Kids sure do love them some Last Shadow Puppets, don't they?

1. My Morning Jacket - "Evil Urges"

The title track from the Louisville-based My Morning Jacket's upcoming fifth record begins as a space-rock pastiche before blasting off into the group's more familiar indie-jam territory, all done underneath Jim James' best Curtis Mayfield impression. A departure, for sure, but a successful one, for the most part. Never has the band sounded so soulful.

Grade: B+

2. Wolf Parade - "Call It a Ritual"

The mournful, piano-driven jauntiness of "Call It a Ritual" doesn't really differentiate itself from the Canadian quintet's past material in terms of feel. Of course, when your first album knocked the indie world's socks off their asses, you probably don't feel so compelled to change things up. However, am I complaining? No.

Grade: B+

3. The Last Shadow Puppets - "The Age of the Understatement"

A live rendition of the Arctic Monkey's offshoot title track, there's a little bit of a locomotive pace to this song. Turner's croon and a fuzzy, echo-y guitar line prove to be the focal points of the track. The harmonizing is a little off at times, but all in all, this is a solid performance.

Grade: B

4. My Brightest Diamond - "Inside a Boy"

The odd flaw of My Brightest Diamond's debut record was that it was a little too well-crafted. As a rock album, it could have used more shambolic energy. "Inside a Boy", doesn't quite kick out the jams, but it does make effective use of vocals and guitar to create an anxious atmosphere reminiscent of Radiohead.

Grade: B

5. Lykke Li - "Dance Dance Dance"

Before releasing her debut album, Swedish songstress Lykke Li gives listeners a foretaste of the feast to come by releasing an EP of material, from which "Dance Dance Dance" is taken. From the first impression given by this single, "Dance Dance Dance" should be one of many solid, sugary pop numbers.

Grade: B

6. Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"

Though Fleet Foxes may modestly claim that they're "not much of a rock band", they sure do know how to coalesce its ancestors (country, gospel, and choral music) into songs that are hopelessly harmonic. "White Winter Hymnal" sounds like the future of the music they supposedly are not much of. How's that for irony?

Grade: A-

7. M83 - "Graveyard Girl"

Download: M83 - "Graveyard Girl"

If The Jesus And Mary Chain (who picked up where your precious Echo left off) ever wrote an anthemic prom song, this would probably be it. M83 perfectly captures the emotional experience of adolescence, where being enamored of love is as equally important as actually being in love. Shoegazer and synth-pop never sounded so grandiose.

Grade: A

8. The Last Shadow Puppets - "My Mistakes Were Made For You"

Who knew that Alex Turner was a fan of Sinatra's Frank and Nancy? This elegant pop song, a tale of regret about how innocence and arrogance intertwine, bears a musical resemblance to the latter's orchestral pop songs with Burt Bacharach, but delivered with the croon of the former. Surprisingly well-done.

Grade: B+

9. Weezer - "Pork And Beans"

The best Weezer single to come from this decade. Granted, in the context of "Beverly Hills", that's not saying a whole lot. But by revisiting old glories (a little "Buddy Holly" in the chorus, a little "El Scorcho" in the verse), Weezer have finally started to recaptur the essence of what made them expert pop-smiths to begin with.

Grade: B

10. No Age - "Eraser"

"Eraser" may not be the most groundbreaking song written (indeed, Deerhunter and Liars have beaten No Age to the 21st-century noise-recontextualized-as-pop punch), but as far as marrying the ambient guitar collages of My Bloody Valentine with the off-kilter melodic sensibilities of late 90s Modest Mouse, this track is tops.

Grade: A-

(Jonathan Graef)

Themes Post New Song, Tour Dates, Quote "The Simpsons"

Download: Themes - "Epic World"

Everything's coming up Milhouse! And by Milhouse, I mean MPLS-based expansionist alt-folk duo Themes. The duo, who put out their record War Over The Great Plains in the winter of last year, blossomed into a quartet by adding new members back in February. Then, about a week-and-a-half ago, the band triumphantly opened for Fleet Foxes and Blizen Trapper at a show in the 7th Street that Themes described as their "most memorable show to date".

Now, as May approaches, the group is set to start a West Coast tour where, hopefully, each show presents an opportunity to become even more memorable.

As the band explains, via MySpace:

"Did anyone get the licsense place number of the winter that just hit me?"
-c wiggins
--
T-MINUS 20 DAYS AND COUNTING.
dear friends, and innumerable shards of shimmering fragments.

we are headed west again. bursting from the dams of winter's confine. we'll spend to month of MAY roving the western seaboard, with our stories to tell. you might come see us at the shows, you might run into us at the bar be que. you may see us syphening gas from suv's in home depot parking lots, and you might say, those fuckers are crazy, and they look like road warriors. and you would be right. i am fucking crazy. crazy like a fox.

Not one, but two Simpsons quotes!

You can see if the band is coming to your town by heading to their MySpace Page.

For those of you in the Twin Cities-area who want to see the band, they'll be playing April 29th at Future Pasture, and May 3rd at the Uptown Theater, where they will be playing with Chicagoans Lacona.

Those who want to hear what the band actually sounds like (shocker of shockers!) can listen to lullaby-like, arpeggio-heavy, and aptly-named "Epic World" at the top of the post. If you like what you hear, then head on over to the band's MySpace Page, where the band has posted a "new" song. "The Soldier's Trade" is taken from the Plains record, but seeing how you can only buy the record from the band themselves, the stream on MySpace will have to do.

Band member Jacy sez:

a big what up to those of you who might not have been so lucky as to have gotten a copy of this elusive "War Over The Great Plains" album. I figured i should give a heads up and let you know you can hear the song "The Soldier Trade" on our page now. dig it....

And dig it we do. "The Soldier's Trade" features ghostly, sonically-manipulated vocals which help bely the seriousness of the song's "war-is-hell" message. It's a short, but poignant, folk-protest song.

War Of The Great Plains is out now.

Read the Fantastic Weapon post about the band.

Themes MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)

Fleet Foxes Do Daytrotter Session, Release MP3 From Debut Album

Download: Fleet Foxes - "White Winter Hymnal"

After the considerable buzz garnered by a glowing Pitchfork review of their Sun Giant EP, Seattle-based quintet Fleet Foxes are set to release their debut LP, which will be self-titled. Before the buzz tumbles like a tumbling tumbleweed, the band are doing things like making a Daytrotter session, which you can listen to here. Additionally, the group has released the first MP3 from that debut album, a gorgeous track called "White Winter Hymnal", one that you can listen to at the top of the post.

Fleet Foxes MySpace Page

(Jonathan Graef)