Sally's at rest.
Let's get this straight up front. I don't dislike Fleet Foxes. I actually enjoy their debut album.
As the accolades for Fleet Foxes continue to pile up, however, I can hold my tongue no longer. It's not that I find it increasingly difficult to embrace new recordings that don't swing, thrash or thump. Most so-called indie rock doesn't do any of those things.
The source of my irritation doesn't lie with the music- it's with the self-proclaimed fans. I'd like to ask every advocate of Fleet Foxes these questions:
*Are you high? Seriously, sometimes I wonder if I'm the only guy in the room who isn't smoking something.
*Have you never heard Workingman's Dead? Hey, I genuinely like the Dead's first few studio albums. And so, obviously, do the Fleet Foxes. Yet I'd be willing to wager that most fans of Fleet Foxes wouldn't be caught dead at a concert by Bob Weir or It's a Beautiful Day.
*Can you convince me that you're not engaging in mindless group think? What if Fleet Foxes weren't signed to Sub Pop? What if they weren't from Seattle? What if they were, say, It's Over? As I furiously type this cranky essay, the not-so-dissimilar Kansas City band has three MySpace plays today. Fleet Foxes have 9,000. Even if you don't share my belief that It's Over is the better band, you can't tell me that Fleet Foxes are 3,000 times better. That's a highly suspect bandwagon.
I root for Fleet Foxes' continued success- perhaps a few of their fans will discover artists like John Renbourn. This 1969 effort with Pentangle, for example, is a clear blueprint for Fleet Foxes. It's available on this collection and on this reissue.
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Kansas City Click: Alaadeen leads a group at the Blue Room tonight.
The Rich Boys rock Ott's on Sunday.
Come Monday, Jazzbo hits Jazz.
3 comments:
Without a doubt one of my favorite songs performed by this stellar outfit. Bert & John, Tony, Danny and Jaqui. Nice points about Fleet Foxes too. I love 'em, but the blind loyalty of some of their fans crosses a borderline to a place I do not want to go.
No one can beat 'It's Over'. Since Doris Henson disbanded I have given my love to 'It's Over'.
Thanks for the confirmation, BGO and Wendy.
I realize this post is out of character; I make every effort to be positive. Sometimes, though, I just have to let it fly.
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