Fleet Foxes: October 2, 2008

mike moroco here. i wrote this a little bit ago at my blog mikey being mikey (first and last plug, i promise).

I had an opportunity to see one of my new favorite bands at the Starlight Ballroom in Philadelphia a couple weeks ago. The Fleet Foxes are a five-piece folk group from Seattle that really make their money with their melodic harmonies. They immediately remind you of the Beach Boys and, in my brain, feel like a modern-day, non-political CSNY. They did a wonderful job of captivating the audience and had everyone singing along to their singles White Winter Hymnal and Your Protector. My personal favorite of the night was Oliver James. It was the best, in my opinion, firstly because of it's timing during the oncore, while the energy was at its peak, but mostly because of the prolonged "nooo loooonger." If you're unfamiliar with the song, I highly suggest you find it somewhere, or even possibly purchase the album and listen to the final track. As far as the overall experience, it ranks at the top of the shows I've seen so far this school year, including: Ratatat (October 1) and Don Caballero (August 22), although all of these shows were absolutely fantastic. Take a look at the pictures of the event, thanks to pitchfork.com:



'til next time. peace!
mike mo

Can You Dig It?

Remember that little band from Manchester, UK who sang that song "Wonderwall"? Who doesn't, it was the freakin' hit of the 90s. Yeah, well in case you haven't noticed they've gone through countless drummers, have had countless brotherly squalls, and have also become one of the biggest bands in the world since then. Their last album, "Don't Believe the Truth", brought Oasis back on top of the world in full form. Songs like "Lyla", "The Importance of Being Idle", and "Let There Be Love" contained all the Brit-pop you would expect from Noel Gallagher, as well as the swagger you would expect from his lead-man brother Liam. Now, 3 years after its release, Oasis has added on to their legacy with "Dig Out Your Soul". This album is pure rock and roll, and although it is a step into the psychedelic field, they don't stray too much from the norm. "The Shock of the Lightning", the first single, is the loudest song on the album, with chugging guitars and Liam's raspy growl we have come to know and love throughout the song. What's surprising about this album is how good Liam sounds, especially in his song writing. Just listen to "I'm Outta Time", a trippy ballad written by Liam himself. The vocals are chilling, and it's a pretty good melody considering Liam doesn't write too many songs. Maybe he'll have more confidence after this record... at least he should. "Falling Down", Noel's signature track on this album, might as well be called "Tomorrow Never Knows (Oasis Remix)", because that's pretty much what it is except for the fact that it soars off the ground a little more. There's a heck of a lot of Beatles floatin' around in "Dig Out Your Soul". The opening seconds of "Get Off Your High Horse Lady" sounds like the hand-clapping beat to "Give Peace a Chance", and there's a bit of John Lennon's "Cold Turkey" in the song "Waiting for the Rapture". Where am I going with all this? Well, let's just say Oasis are huge Beatles fans, so much so that they feel the need to take bits and pieces of songs and make them Oasis. Nothing wrong with that I suppose, being that everybody's ripping off of somebody these days. Well anyway, I suggest you take a listen for yourself; it's a good little record, but that's all it is.

Jeff