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Vulpine velocityFleet Foxes singer Robin Pecknold ponders
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“The music that was being made in and around Seattle was important on the world stage,” says Robin Pecknold, recalling the heyday of grunge. “For a lot of kids in Seattle at the time, that was what stuck with you.” Pecknold has gone on to lead Fleet Foxes, a band whose “harmonic pop jams” were inspired more by American, British and Canadian folk and country-rock than Mudhoney, Nirvana and Pearl Jam—“Even then, I was probably more likely to listen to Nirvana Unplugged,” he says. But it was the strength of the Pacific Northwest music scene, and the growth of labels like Sub Pop (which signed Fleet Foxes in early 2008), that made a music career appear attainable, without relocating to a major metropolis. “If we had moved to L.A. or New York City to make it, I think we’d be a totally different band,” says Pecknold, “or we’d have to be a different band for that idea to even enter our minds.” For Fleet Foxes, success didn’t stem from regional buzz, or from incessant cross-country touring. After playing around Seattle for only a year or two, even before their first major tour, the band was discovered by MySpace listeners and the blogosphere. Between the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their eponymous LP (both produced by Phil Ek), they were the buzz band of the moment, and soon they toured the world, appeared on Saturday Night Live and won over critics far and wide. Pecknold’s not complaining, but clearly this rapid ascent is an awkward fit with his indie ideals, wherein success is a reward for years of dues-paying, DIY work. “I think this is doing something weird to people’s minds,” he says. “It definitely felt fast for us, and it’ll be interesting to see how that continues to pan out for bands as things will probably accelerate more and more. I was reading Pitchfork a few days ago and there was some band that I’d never heard of who’d gotten a nice review, and my first thought was, ‘It’s over for this band.’ The cycle is so fast that it might get to a point where, when you’re first exposed to a mass audience, then that’s it for you.” Perhaps fearing the neglect of an increasingly fickle public, Fleet Foxes spent nearly all of 2008 on the road, and an early U.K. tour solidified a fanbase there, generating the band’s best record sales. They’ve also pushed themselves to repeatedly play major cities, where their shows tend to sell out. “If people want to see us play, then it’s nice to give them that chance,” he says. “We also wanted to prove ourselves to as many people as possible by trying really hard to put on a good show.” Fleet Foxes will preview new material this weekend, and come fall, it’ll be time to tackle the next record. Work began during their downtime this year, while they attempted to “maintain normal human life,” and Pecknold admits that the pressure is on. “I’ve been writing a lot, or trying to write, just waiting for good songs to happen,” he says. “I’m having a hard time writing about writing—I really want to avoid that. I need to have some life experiences to reflect on that aren’t about making music or playing shows.” WITH DUNGEN AT METROPOLIS ON |
