All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

100

Delusions of Adequacy

With their self-titled debut, Fleet Foxes have attained this and have delivered one of the best albums of the year.

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100

musicOMH.com

A stunning debut then, and one that will make Fleet Foxes one of the most sought after bands of the year.

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100

The Guardian

It all adds up to a landmark in American music, an instant classic.

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100

Entertainment Weekly

Hushed and wistful, Foxes evokes the itinerant days of yore...you know, before gas cost four bucks a gallon.

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100

Mojo

The sense of wonder in Fleet Foxes' songs is matched only by the discipline and talent that created this adventurous, evocative record. One which is already shaping up as an album of the year. [July 2008, p.98]

Under The Radar

Tone is an alchemic process, and Fleet Foxes produce gold with regularity, a stunning feat for such a young band. [Summer 2008]

Dot Music

Ironically, though defined sartorially and sonically by this short window in history, the songs on their debut album are mostly timeless. Few better will be released in 2008.

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Hot Press

Impressive full length debut from enchanting Seattle-ites.

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Prefix Magazine

They deliver on [Sun Giant EP's] five-song teaser's promise and then some with their first full-length, a self-titled gem that already seems set to wind up near the top of any right-thinking person's year-end list.

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Pitchfork

What follows is surprisingly full and wide ranging, almost as much as the Bruegel painting that graces the album's cover.

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Austin Chronicle

A number of contemporary indie bands attempts to strip-mine mountain ballads in the service of indie pop, but none has melded the impulses as effortlessly and captivatingly as Fleet Foxes manage on "Blue Ridge Mountains" and "Oliver James." Sublime.

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The Onion (A.V. Club)

The wilderness goes from breathtaking to sort of boring after a while, but the overall effect is as refreshing as country air.

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Billboard

One of the most valuable qualities of good music is its ability to transport you to a moment in your past, a place you'll never see or somewhere that doesn't even exist. Thanks to their gloriously retro (and occasionally eerie) three-part harmonies, Seattle's Fleet Foxes accomplish all the above with their self-titled debut.

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Q Magazine

A pure pleasure. [July 2008, p.101]

Drowned In Sound

Fleet Foxes doesn’t leave the stereo. Three, four, five times through-–these songs resonate over and over until they stick for good. A sign of a great record: words fail but a feeling remains.

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Magnet

Fleet Foxes' full-length debut showcases a gift for folk-adjacent mini-epics that evolve in unexpected directions yet never lose their organic center. [Summer 2008, p.102]

Uncut

Like the equally rapturous “Sun Giant” EP which preceded it, Fleet Foxes’ debut album is a fastidious, sometimes overwhelmingly pretty evocation of the American wilderness; a dreamy companion piece to last month’s superb Bon Iver album.

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Rolling Stone

A lower-dosage Animal Collective, the Foxes stuff their free-form songs with rich, swirling melodies; billowing clouds of organs, tom-toms, bells and assorted stringed instruments cloak group vocals whose secular-gospel, suede-fringed precision owes plenty to Crosby, Stills and Nash.

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Spin

At its best, Fleet Foxes is warm and cathartic, with all the hopefulness of a balmy summer night.

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All Music Guide

Throughout the album, the band sounds wise beyond its years, so it's not really that surprising that Fleet Foxes is such a satisfying, self-assured debut.

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Paste Magazine

It’s like watching the sun rise over distant mountaintops, over and over, familiar and captivating all at once.

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Hartford Courant

Pecknold and guitarist Skyler Skjelset have been writing teenage symphonies to God since they were actual teenagers, and that transcendent love of music shines through in their own songs.

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PopMatters

That Fleet Foxes have crafted such a sublime debut less than two years into their existence as a band speaks to their collective pop genius .

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Almost Cool

As with many releases like this, I wish the ride were just a little bit more bumpy just to throw off expectations, but nonetheless Fleet Foxes have put out quite an enjoyable little debut here.

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No Ripcord

Fleet Foxes is certainly a very good record, but it is kept from greatness by its failure to capture the communal feeling of its excellent, buzz-building live shows.

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Dusted Magazine

At times, it sounds as though the band was still working through exactly how they wanted all of the various elements to work together, such that there are some immediate, hook-filled songs (“White Winter Hymnal,” “Your Protector,” “He Doesn’t Know Why”) and other songs whose more complex structures require more from the listener.

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Tiny Mix Tapes

Although there is much to like about the album, it can be difficult to differentiate one from another.

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New Musical Express

You have to wade through a lot of plaid-shirted, porch-rocking psychedelia before you get there. The patient pilgrim, though, can look forward to unearthing the widescreen Laurel Canyon-birthed wonder of ‘Your Protectors’ after one or two plays.

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Blender

None of the album rocks, or gets particularly rootsy. [July 2008, p.72]

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Sputnikmusic

There’s a huge promise to Fleet Foxes, one that can’t be ignored, but Pecknold and the rest of the guys haven’t tapped into it yet.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this album is 8.5 (out of 10) based on 133 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Rice Krispies Dave gave it a10:
Joe Blow you should go Blow a Joe, 'cause this album is great.

mark o gave it a10:
Joe blow = typical pretentious opinion i'm glad there are at least some people who listen to the music for the music, not to be as obscure as possible to bolster their hipster cred.

Jim Z. gave it a10:
The album is exceptional, perhaps the best I've heard in the past few years. I saw them live at All Points West Music and Arts Festival and I was blown away. Imagine four of the five band members harmonizing perfectly. On the cd you may think they sound off key, but it's intentional, it sounds unique and they wanted you to hear Robin Pecknold primarily. Truly one of the innovative bands we have seen in this era. For all of you Kids that only like metal or straight rap, get out of here. This place is for those who seek truthful insight. From those who have actually listened to the music, and not some punk who gave it a zero just because everyone likes it so much and it's "mainstream."

Ricardo C. gave it an8:
Fleet Foxes, sounds pure, dreamy and is a pleasant album. Which is a lot to ask nowadays. (Maybe that's why "masses" liked it, superior-being Joe Blow, and tastes are different so but that logic anything is better than something, since there's no general agreement that something is good, and it doesn't really make any sense for metacritic to exist...).

Matt K gave it a10:
Timeless folk music. Sumptious harmonies with carefully crafted instrumentation. Stick it on repeat and you won't regret it!

David S gave it a10:
Instantly became one of my most favorite albums, but it's not for everybody since some people don't feel "cool" listening to folk-ish music the only problem i see with this band is, well, can they really make an album better than this one? i doubt it.

Joe Blow gave it a0:
Just another perfect example of the oldest misconception in the world, if everyone likes it that much, it must be good. Wrong. The way I see it, if everybody likes it that much, it probably means that it's suited for the masses, meaning, common, saturated ideas that are more than likely being done better elsewhere, not en-masse.

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