"Lorelai"

A few years ago I told my brother that I could not consider the Fleet Foxes one of the best bands in existence because they only had one album.  "Yeah," I smugly declared.  "I love their album but just because they made one awesome record doesn't mean they have lasting appeal.  Check back with me after they release a second album."

Well, they did.  Here's how the second conversation went: "Dude, remember what I said a few years ago?  Screw it.  Fleet Foxes are one of the best bands of all time."

And they are.  The echoing harmonies, the songs that change and shift and evolve as you listen, the quiet strumming and the sudden bursts of energy; this band makes music a journey.  Each song feels like a piece of ancient folklore being told over a popping campfire.  The lyrics speak of love, loss, joy and toil from the perspective of a simpler time long since forgotten.  Let me tell you from experience there aren't very many bands better to listen to whilst riding a train through the countryside or chopping wood in the forest. 

Lorelai, the song that has been stuck in my head all day, sounds like the opening credits to a Wes Anderson movie.  The shuffling snare reminiscent of a coming steam engine and the layered chanting are motifs that no band even attempts, probably because they know they couldn't do it better than the Fleet Foxes. 

Here is a video of Lorelai, from the album "Helplessness Blues": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtFrGCJrnKc

Today's runner up: "Heart It Races" - Dr. Dog 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QvJ3dXqmvw