a very belated happy 2012 + Fleet Foxes & Beirut!

Happy (very belated) 2012!

My what a year 2011 was! so many awesome albums and so many gigs were seen, I finished my first year of university complete with my first clinical placement and did extremely well! I hope 2012 is just as good for music AND university - fingers crossed I get a spot on the exchange to Georgetown University in Washington D.C.


All this news aside, let's get down to business. As I was saying, 2011 was an incredible year for music and I was lucky enough to catch the following artists in concert last year:

• Beach House (x2)
• Yeasayer
• Local Natives (x2)
• Decoder Ring
• Ernest Ellis & the Panamas
• The Drums (x2) 
• Foster the People
• Gypsy & the Cat
• Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros
• Two Door Cinema Club
• Jonathan Boulet
• The Wombats
• Noah & the Whale
• Gotye (x3)
• Stornoway 
• The Holidays (x2) 

(those are the ones I remember!) 

Now to 2012! 


In the 25 short days that has been 2012, I have seen both Beirut and Fleet Foxes at the Sydney Opera House - how lucky am I! 


Funny story. As I was settling down for a night of tv after a day spent at the beach I thought I better go and check that my Fleet Foxes tickets were in fact for Tuesday the 3rd of January. INCORRECT. They were for Monday the 2nd and I realised this at 7:45pm and the gig started at 8pm sharp. Cue my frantic rushing and my Mum driving like a rally driver to get us to the concert at 10 past 8. What a legend! It was completely worth it, Fleet Foxes are incredible - they have a really fun stage presence as well which was refreshing and there were lots of laughs in between songs not to mention their amazing graphics they have going on in the background that were done by Sean Pecknold (Robin's brother - the one Blue Ridge Mountains was written about!). 


I managed to get a few shots of Fleet Foxes. Excuse the quality - they were taken up high in the auditorium and on my iPhone. 

And here's a gratuitous shot of the Sydney Harbour Bridge!

stay tuned for more music news!


farväl

artist spotlight: Fleet Foxes

It should come as no surprise to people who read my blog regularly (I don't even know if that's what happens, I may just be broadcasting this to give myself an ego boost...) that I love Fleet Foxes, so I decided to write a little post about them and gush about their latest album... here goes...

Fleet Foxes - Fleet Foxes (2008)

So many things can be said about Fleet Foxes that I barely know where to begin. I think a lot of people became affiliated with their music after the release of their first album, Fleet Foxes in 2008, however months prior to this stunning album they put out their Sun Giant EP which had a handful of delicious teasers of what was to come of their future releases.


From their first album, Fleet Foxes tracks you should listen to are "White Winter Hymnal" and "He Doesn't Know Why"as well as "Mykonos" and "Drops in the River" from  the Sun Giant EP.

I was following the,
I was following the pack,
All swallowed in their coats
With scarves of red tied 'round their throats
To keep their little heads
From fallin' in the snow
And I turned 'round and there you go.
And, Michael, you would fall,
And turn the white snow
Red as strawberries in the summertime. 

They are similar to Bon Iver and bands of that ilk and have stunning lyrics that tell the most beautiful and enchanting stories - you can find them if you listen just that little bit more intently to what Robin Pecknold (vocalist+lyricist) sings so sweetly in their songs.

In the morning waking up to terrible sunlight
All diffuse like skin abuse the sun is half its size
When you talk you hardly even look in my eyes
in the morning, in the morning

In the doorway holding every letter that I wrote
in the driveway pulling away putting on your coat
in the ocean washing off my name from your throat
in the morning, in the morning

in the ocean washing off my name from your throat
in the morning, in the morning
(the shrine/an argument)

Pecknold, in an interview for Uncut magazine in May explained the meaning behind The Shrine/An Argument - "It describes four stages of a break-up - contemplation, anger, frustration and solitude." 


They have some of the most beautiful album artwork with so many intricate details they are indeed a feast for the eyes as well as the ears.

One of the most delightful album releases that I've had the pleasure to listen to this year has been their second album entitled "Helplessness Blues"

Helplessness Blues (2011)

I guess it can be mentioned here that there is always a doubt as to whether a band can top such a fantastic debut with their follow-up, however, I can safely say that they managed to pull it off.


Fleet Foxes have stayed true to their roots but have still managed to make an endearing, beautiful and interesting album. Opening with the song "Montezuma" and closing with "Grown Ocean", the 12 song album is a delight from start to finish and I'm just going to put it out there that Helplessness Blues is definitely going to be in my top 10 album list of 2011... and by me saying that in May with 7 more months of music releases, that's a pretty big call!

Tunes to listen to include "The Shrine/An Argument", "Battery Kinzie", "Someone You'd Admire" and "Bedouin Dress" but singling out tracks on a special album is hard, those are just my absolute favourites!


I just can't wait until they hit my shores so I can finally hear them play live!

Farväl and happy listening!