Fleet Foxes Tickets : Fleet Foxes Received Four Out Of Five Stars From Rolling Stone

Fleet Foxes are a folk band which formed in Seattle, Washington. They are signed to the Sub Pop and Bella Union record labels. The band came to prominence in 2008 with the release of their second EP, Sun Giant, and their debut full length album Fleet Foxes. Both Sun Giant and their eponymous debut album received much critical praise and reviewers often noted their use of refined lyrics and vocal harmonies. Lead singer and principal songwriter Robin Pecknold has relocated from Seattle to Portland, Oregon.

Fleet Foxes were becoming increasingly popular and by late 2007 they had attracted over a quarter of a million song plays over two months on their Myspace site. Although the band had not released any of their recordings, they benefited from word of mouth exposure and their success soon translated into a record deal, signing with Warner Music subsidiary record label Sub Pop on January 18, 2008.

According to Sub Pop A&R Sue Busch, at the time of signing the band was still a relatively primitive set-up, being without manager or legal representation. Robin's sister Aja Pecknold then assumed the role of band manager.The band's frontman, Robin Pecknold attributes much of their success and popularity to illegal file sharing.

The band completed the recording of their second EP, Sun Giant, around the same time in preparation for upcoming tours. Fleet Foxes began their spring tour with fellow Northwest band Blitzen Trapper on February 28, 2008. The band's performances, first at the SXSW festival in March 2008, and then the Sasquatch! festival in May 2008, moved the band into the public consciousness, notably attracting attention from the European press for the first time.

Sun Giant was released internationally on April 8, 2008 and the group's brand of folk, rock and pop, marked by their use of vocal harmonies, was well received by the press. Despite the warm critical reception, the group stated that the EP did not represent their full ambitions, serving merely as a CD to sell while on tour.

In May 2008 the band chose to extend their North American and European tour until September in support of their forthcoming album. Additionally, the band grew in number as songwriters Christian Wargo and J. Tillman joined Fleet Foxes on guitars and drums respectively. Their debut full length album Fleet Foxes was released shortly afterwards on June 3, 2008.The album achieved similar critical success as the previous EP had.

Fleet Foxes received four out of five stars from Rolling Stone, who compared it to the likes of the Beach Boys, Animal Collective, and Crosby, Stills & Nash, and a 9.0 out of 10 in a review by Pitchfork Media, sharing the website's album of the year rank with the Sun Giant EP. The Guardian was particularly complimentary, awarding the album five stars and declaring it "a landmark in American music an instant classic." On June 24, 2008, Fleet Foxes went to #1 on the CMJ Radio 200 Chart.The album achieved an average rating of 87/100 from 30 critic reviews on aggregator website Metacritic.

While the group enjoyed moderate success in the United States, Fleet Foxes was better received in Europe, selling over 200,000 copies in the first five months following its releaseThe sales were matched with critical plaudits and their debut album won Uncut's first ever Music Award 2008 prize.Uncut editor Allan Jones said the album "showed impeccable musicianship, and although you could trace its antecedents, it sounded totally unique. Fleet Foxes was just a glorious debut." The band sold out music venues for their tours of Australia, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, reaffirming their growing popularity.