fleet foxes

I’m now somewhat obsessed with the Seattle indie folk band Fleet Foxes. When I’m not listening JCS these days — working on my upcoming post — I’m listening to Fleet Foxes. And first of all, isn’t that a perfect name for a band? It shoots straight to my heart for some reason; it tugs at me, speaks of freedom, almost invisibility: Fleet Foxes. It may seem bizarre, but I just knew I would like them when I first heard that name. (So I’m a weirdo with dreams of being a feral canine. Whatevs. I thought we all knew this.) All the guys in the band seem filthy and smelly and overly bearded and, well, in truth it disturbs me that I find it all rather hot. But it’s not about the hygiene, is it? It’s about the music. You know, they’re sort of magical and weird in their woodsy hirsuteness. The melodies are ethereal and the lyrics — I don’t know — they make you yearn, pine for things, too many things, that you can’t necessarily even place or articulate. Or at least they do for me. Maybe it’s my own Seattle connection. Maybe it brings all that back. The lead singer — and hairiest of the bunch — Robin Pecknold has an odd, wonderful voice. I have a classically trained voice — admittedly out of practice now — but I do so love a quirky voice, a strange timbre, a peculiar pronunciation. I appreciate the “perfect” voice, but I relate more to the imperfect voice and Pecknold has that — the ragged beauty of imperfection. With him, I feel as if he’s just sitting down with his guitar and improvising. That he’s never rehearsed it. That he’s channeling this music right now. There’s that feel of raw spontaneity to him. But, if you listen to the music, it’s actually quite complex and layered. And the harmonies! They’re gorgeous. Oh, how I love a bunch of dudes sitting around harmonizing! Basically, give me a barber shop quartet and I will rip my clothes off.

The song embedded (way below) is called “Ragged Wood.” Another great name. A song about missing a love, longing for her, pleading with her to come home. Oh, it gets me. I have to mention a couple of things before you click play, because it pleases me to do so:

~ Uhm, the very opening of the song. The whhhoa-oh-ohhhh. The minute I heard that, I was hooked. I don’t even know why exactly. And now I want to walk around with Fleet Foxes singing whhhhoa-oh-ohhhh as accompaniment to everything I say and do in life.

I need to go to the store.

Whhhhhoa-oh-ohhhhh

I’m making dinner.

Whhhhoa-oh-ohhhh

I have to pee.

Whhhoa-oh-ohhhh

Let’s have sex.

Whhhoa-oh-ohhhh

See how nice that would be? Alas, with Fleet Foxes currently unavailable to accommodate my wish, I am forced to sing it to myself everywhere I go.

~ The lyric Settle down with me by the fire of my yearning Uhm, yes, please. Sold! Plus, the way he says yearning as yearniuhh. I love you and I’m very sorry for the fire of your yearniuhh. You really should get that checked.

~ You run through the forest, settle before the sun. I love how he says sun like sone. Basically, he has some kind of sexy speech impediment and the siren’s song of his disability is almost too much for me to bear.

~ Darling, I can barely remember you beside me. RIPS my heart out. And any song that uses the word darling — well, I am helpless against its power. I turn to mush. That word isn’t used enough anymore. I’m not talking about darlin’. I mean darling. Say it to me! Call me that! Mean it! Sing it to me in a barber shop quartet and there is just NO TELLING what will happen! I cannot be held responsible.

~ And Johnathinnnn and Evelinnnn get tired. Again, I am basically swooning and I’m not entirely sure why. As Ralph on The Simpsons would say: “I’m bembarrassed for you.”

~ Lie to me if you will at the top of Beringer Hill/ Tell me anything you want, any old lie will do/Call me back to you I can’t even talk about these lyrics. Heartwrenching.

~ Finally, at the 2:30 mark, Vishnu has a 20-second guitar solo. Whatevs, Vish. Do NOT let it dissuade you from continuing.

Here are the lyrics so you can follow along:

Whoa-oh-oh

Come down from the mountain, you have been gone too long
The spring is upon us, follow my only song
Settle down with me by the fire of my yearning
You should come back home, back on your own now

The world is alive now, in and outside our home
You run through the forest, settle before the sun
Darling, I can barely remember you beside me
You should come back home, back on your own now

And even in the light, when the woman of the woods came by
To give to you the word of the old man
In the morning tide when the sparrow and the seagull fly
And Johnathan and Evelyn get tired

Lie to me if you will at the top of Beringer Hill
Tell me anything you want, any old lie will do
Call me back to you

Back to you

Basically on continuous play for me right now.