"HELPLESSNESS BLUES" FLEET FOXES (2011)

A great title track is par for the course when it comes to great albums. If the title track doesn’t cut it, what does that say about the album itself? This month, the Mental Jukebox will be playing some of my favorite title tracks – inspired by @NicolaB_73’s music Twitter challenge, #TopTitleTracks.

Some bands have that ability to transport us back to another era. With the Fleet Foxes, I feel like I’m in Woodstock, laying on the lawn and getting lost in the fantastic harmonies of CSNY. This is not a slight to the band that they make me think of another band. The songwriting, melodies and vocals are all still entirely Fleet Foxes. Just listen to “Helplessness Blues” to hear all the proof you need.

The album, as a whole, is considered to be one of the finest folk records of the 21st century. It has appeared on many “best of 2011” lists and has even earned a Grammy nomination. While I don’t pay much attention to these types of accolades, I think it’s relevant here because of the type of music we’re talking about. Helplessness Blues helped bring this brand of folk music back to the forefront.

“I don't need to be kind to the armies of night that would do such injustice to you.”

"WHITE WINTER HYMNAL" FLEET FOXES (2008)

The moment a song is born, the world is different. It’s now a part of our lives. We sing it in the shower. We dance to it at our wedding. We get pumped with it. We break up to it. We memorize it. We try to forget it. We rediscover it. This month, I’m joining Arron Wright’s Twitter music challenge: ##Popiversary2. Because why the hell not. Songs deserve their own anniversaries, too.

Year: 2008

By no means is Fleet Foxes on the same level as CSN&Y. CSN&Y are music legends, the kind that maybe come around once every 20 years or so if we’re lucky. But Fleet Foxes isn’t that far behind. What Fleet Foxes pulled off in the 21st century is impressive. They put power harmonies center stage once again. And they did it with a folk-inspired sound that’s earthy and natural, a far cry from post-punk, dream pop or any of the key genres of their contemporaries. “White Winter Hymnal” remains one of my go-to Fleet Foxes tracks.

Like many Fleet Foxes songs, “White Winter Hymnal” shimmers with a cascade of echoing melodies from the mountains. The song is sung in rounds, a traditional form of singing that seemed to be given a new lease on life through the ban'd’s trademark harmonies where each vocal part comes in round after round. This approach has a way of sweeping me up and away, regardless of circumstance. And the words overdelivered. They felt more like classic literature than song lyrics, leading me to believe the character Michael was an allegory for something far greater.

“I WAS FOLLOWING THE PACK. ALL SWALLOWED IN THEIR COATS WITH SCARVES OF RED TIED 'ROUND THEIR THROATS.”

"WHITE WINTER HYMNAL" FLEET FOXES (2008)

So much of the Christmas season, for me, is all about the music. I have no problems with you if you want to start your Christmas celebrations a little early. After Halloween seems excessive. After Thanksgiving is fair game. Then let’s bring on the real Christmas songs and the fake ones, too. I don’t discriminate. From Dec 16-31, it’s all Christmas music playing on Mental Jukebox.

It sounds and feels like Christmas. Like many Fleet Foxes songs, “White Winter Hymnal” feels like a cascade of echoing melodies from the mountains. The song is sung in rounds, a traditional form of singing that seemed to be given a new lease on life through the ban'd’s trademark harmonies where each vocal part comes in round after round. This approach has a way of sweeping me up and away, regardless of circumstance. And the words overdelivered. They felt more like classic literature than song lyrics, leading me to believe the character Michael was an allegory for something far greater.

“I was following the pack. All swallowed in their coats with scarves of red tied 'round their throats.”

"WHITE WINTER HYMNAL" FLEET FOXES

Each day in December, I’ll be reflecting back on a song from the 2000’s. The decade saw the return of post-punk and the popularization of folk music, all while some of music’s biggest acts gained their indie footing. Thankfully, it’s a period that I can look back at fondly without cringing. #31DaysOf2000sSongs

By no means is Fleet Foxes on the same level as CSN&Y. CSN&Y are music legends, the kind that maybe come around once every 20 years or so if we’re lucky. But Fleet Foxes isn’t that far behind. What Fleet Foxes have done in today’s musical climate is impressive. They put power harmonies center stage once again. And they did it with a folk-inspired sound that’s earthy and natural, a far cry from post-punk, dream pop or any of the key genres of their contemporaries. And, in the spirit of Christmas, I have to go with “White Winter Hymnal” as my go-to Fleet Foxes track.

Like many Fleet Foxes songs, “White Winter Hymnal” feels like a cascade of echoing melodies from the mountains. The song is sung in rounds, a traditional form of singing that seemed to be given a new lease on life through the ban'd’s trademark harmonies where each vocal part comes in round after round. This approach has a way of sweeping me up and away, regardless of circumstance. And the words overdelivered. They felt more like classic literature than song lyrics, leading me to believe the character Michael was an allegory for something far greater.

“I was following the pack. All swallowed in their coats with scarves of red tied 'round their throats.”

"MYKONOS" FLEET FOXES (2008)

Fleet Foxes’ refusal to go along with the crowd is what helped them earn acclaim in the 21st century. “Mykonos” is the epitome of this. It sounds nothing like the dance music scene in Mykonos, nor are the lyrics even about the famed Greek Island. It’s a tale of two halves. The first half reels you in with the melody. The second half hooks you in with CSNY-style harmonies as good as CSNY.

“And you will go to Mykonos with a vision of a gentle coast. And a sun to maybe dissipate shadows of the mess you made.”