CityLife

Fleet Foxes bring baroque 'n' roll back to town

PASTORAL: Fleet Foxes

AS indie labels go, Seattle-based Sub Pop has certainly earned its place among the greats.

Before selling a share of itself to the big boys, It independently laun-ched the likes of Nirvana and was responsible for broke eaking the grunge scene around the world.

It’s gone on to bring us Mudhoney, Soundgarden, CSS, Flight Of The Conchords, Red House Painters, Iron & Wine (aka Samuel Beam), The Shins and The Postal Service.

Sub Pop has even put out singles by The Beach Boys, The White Stripes and Smashing Pumpkins. But what’s made CityLife wax so lyrical about the label?

Well, it’s the rise of our favourite Sub Pop protégés of course – the fantastic ‘baroque pop’ five-piece Fleet Foxes.

Baroque

A band who dare to label themselves ‘baroque pop’, Fleet Foxes’ sound comes from nowhere and everywhere all at once. From nowhere, because contextually The group’s eponymous debut album is absolutely at odds with the Eighties shimmer and big beat pop of modern popular music.

But, from everywhere because the pastoral elegance of their whimsical melodies and spotless four-part harmonies recalls centuries of sounds: from Appalachian folk to gospel, renaissance harp music and contemporary country as well as traces of Fleetwood Mac, Fairport Convention, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Which, for the uninitiated, is a pretty baffling proposition. You can clear up any confusion with another dose of them live later this year though.

Awarded the Mojo Album Of The Year gong for 2008, the Brit-nominated outfit have gone from strength to strength in 2009 and will support scene godfather Neil Young in Hyde Park this summer before heading out in their biggest UK tour yet.

Fleet Foxes play the Apollo on Friday, September 11. Tickets are on sale now. £17.50. Call 08444 777 677.