Board 8 > Rank the Tracks Week 47: Fleet Foxes (+ VU&N results)

(+) Yeah! (+)

Previous results can be seen here:
https://board8.fandom.com/wiki/Rank_the_Tracks

The rules:
1. Listen to the album in full
2. Rank every track on the album
3. For the results, there will be a curve at the top of each list; two additional points between #1 and #2, and one additional point for the next two ranks. This way, the songs that really stick out to someone get an edge that is not immediately negated by someone else putting it lower. In the case of Demon Days, someone's 15th track will get 1 point, 14th 2 points, 4th 12 points, 3rd 14 points, 2nd 16 points, and 1st 19 points. For albums with greater than 15 tracks, everything ranked below #15 will be given 0 points and the scale for the top 15 will be the same as a 15-track album. For albums with more than 20 tracks, you only have to list your top 15 (with 16-20, I still like having the average rank listed)
4. If you want to include comments for individual songs, I will compile them in the results
5. The results will be posted at the beginning of the next topic
6. The deadline to vote is Sunday, January 30 at 8:00 AM EST - though if you are for whatever reason listening to the album around that time, just say so in the topic and I can delay a bit
7. You can sign up to be added to the user cycle - the next person on the list will choose 3 albums which the other users will vote on for the next topic.
7a. To ensure people are being given an actual choice, the three nominated albums must be by different artists. You can otherwise stick to a similar sound or era.
7b. The tiebreaker for these polls will be whichever is listed first in the poll options - make sure to deliver the results in order of your own preference (which will hopefully have the added benefit of influencing people toward your first choice if they can't decide).

Fleet Foxes' self-titled track list:
1. Sun It Rises
2. White Winter Hymnal
3. Ragged Wood
4. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
5. Quiet Houses
6. He Doesn't Know Why
7. Heard Them Stirring
8. Your Protector
9. Meadowlarks
10. Blue Ridge Mountains
11. Oliver James

User Cycle:
1/30: Seanchan (Dua Lipa - Future Nostalgia)
2/6: Giggsalot (Tom Waits - Rain Dogs)
2/13: RyoCaliente
2/20: darkx
2/27: neonreaper
3/6: Great_Paul
3/13: jcgamer107
3/20: ChichiriMuyo
3/27: ChainLTTP
4/3: BlueCrystalTear
4/10: MetalmindStats
4/17: HBJDubs
4/24: TheArkOfTurus
5/1: Snake5555555555
5/8: Jesse_Custer
5/15: ZaziGuado
5/22: firefdr
5/29: SpikeSetsFire
6/5: Johnbobb
6/12: VeryInsane
6/19: CasanovaZelos

The Velvet Underground and Nico results

The participants sorted by deviation from final results:
CasanovaZelos (12)
BlueCrystalTear (16)
Raetsel_Lapin (18)
VeryInsane (20)
Jesse_Custer (22)
rwlh (24)
MetalmindStats (26)
Seanchan (28)
HBJDubs (32)
ChichiriMuyo (36)
Johnbobb (36)
Mr Lasastryke (38)

General Album Comments

CasanovaZelos: The Velvet Underground and Nico was among the first dozen albums I listened to when I really got into popular music near the beginning of last decade. From that first listen up through a year or two ago, it held my #1 spot, only outdone by Kate Bush's Hounds of Love (a position it could easily take back with my next all-time list update). This is an album where the modifier 'proto' can be applied to half a dozen genres - this is the beginning of so many alternative forms. What's truly shocking is how abrasive it remains even half a century later - despite several harsher genres becoming popular staples in the decades since, a track like "Heroin" still hurts in the best way. I predict this will be among our wildest results, a war between those who embrace the oddities for the paths they opened and those who find safety in the more traditional pieces. Either way, half the tracks on this album are all-time classics and the remaining pieces are all strong. A wild ride showcasing how much popular music advanced throughout the 1960s.

Seanchan: Did a first listen to The Velvet Underground. Uh, lets just say I can totally see why this didn't have a lot of commercial success

ChichiriMuyo: What to say about The Velvet Underground & Nico? This album is essentially trolling in the pre-Internet era, but not in a way that I feel I can enjoy. I felt a bit of distaste for half the songs from the moment they started, while the other half tricked me into thinking I'd like the song then the band had to violate an instrument or two... every time. I honestly never want to listen to this album again, there isn't anything to enjoy here.

Giggsalot (responding to ChichiriMuyo): Have you... never listened to artsy / experimental music before at all? (If so, that's fine!) It's completely reasonable not to like VU&Nico - I said already that I don't think much of it myself! - but this is one of the most beloved and influential records of all time. To suggest that either the band themselves or their fans are somehow insincere or trolling is an absolutely baffling take.

Mr Lasastryke: in fairness, i'm pretty sure the critical reaction to VU&N was fairly mixed when it first came out. it didn't gain "one of the greatest albums of all time" status until much later.

CasanovaZelos: I don't know how much of it was the initial reaction being mixed and how much was the record company simply not giving it a chance. It's not fair to imply people from the 60s rejected it - too few were even exposed to it to form an opinion. But I'm pretty sure it started becoming a big deal throughout the 70s when Lou Reed's solo career took off and people checked out his earlier work.

ChichiriMuyo: I've listened to "artsy" music before. Cibo Matto - Viva! La Woman is a fantastic album that I could listen to any time. "Birthday Cake" also gets into that "instrument violation" range but then it has other songs top balance it out. "Know Your Chicken" is also weird and out there but it doesn't sound like they were trying to hurt their instruments.

The thing that bothered me about TVU+N is that it felt like there was no balance to it, they just kept going all the way every time. There really isn't anything likable in the album, it just comes off as pretentious bullshit. It feels like it exists only as an excuse for somebody to say "oh, you just don't understand art because you're not sophisticated enough." Not that anyone said that, but that's exactly what I felt even as I was listening to it, and having that Andy Warhol cover art sure doesn't help alleviate that sense. The truth is, as far as experimentation goes, they really seemed to have very few tricks up their sleeves and over-relied on the most basic and most grating of them.

BlueCrystalTear: I remember listening to this last year and loving it, confused as to how I hadn't really given it any mind before. Still love it - it's a great "mood album" that has strong lyrical themes and amazing musical composition for its time. Like I still can't believe this is 1967. There are many good things going for it - the male/female harmonies, the innovation with instrumentation, the lyrics... the only song that is awful to listen to is the last one, because it goes on for WAY too long. This is one of those albums where last place is easier than first.

rwlh: neat album! Heroin was the clear standout, but the overall picture is pretty intense and raw, with interesting aural choices.

Jesse_Custer: Figured Id give it a try because this is one of those albums Id always meant to get around to. Not a fan.

ZaziGuado: I gave the album a listen a few days ago. It was alright, though nothing that inspired me to want to go back and try to rank the tracks. I remember Heroin and Sunday Morning being the standouts. I turned it off before European Son finished because I was not feeling that track at all. Run Run Run sounded like what I imagine typical 60s Rock n' Roll to sound like. Whether that's true or not I'm unsure.

There's potentially there for me to like a straightforward album, so perhaps someday I'll give their third album a try given how CZ described it.

VeryInsane: Even as the one who nominated this album and has probably listened to it at least two dozen times, this album was still hard as hell to rank. The styles of each of the songs are different in some way, ranging from psychedelic pop to predecessors to various other movements ranging from punk to noise rock. Took me a while to think.

Seanchan: Straight up, I don't like this album. I don't enjoy Lou Reed's singing. I enjoy Nico's singing even less. A lot of the instrumentation is just abrasive. I ranked Heroin #1 if just because it was kinda interesting with the whole heartbeat thing, but I can't say there's a single song here I truly enjoyed and there's no chance I ever listen to this album ever again.

With that said, I'm glad to have listened to it if it's considered a "classic" but absolutely did not "get it" at all. If this got popular after the fact because of Lou Reed's solo career, well, I have to wonder if it was just because of people trying to like it, willing themself to like it, deluding themself to like it so they could be part of some weird "in" crowd.

Or maybe I'm just "basic" and have no fucking taste. I fully recognize that's a very distinct possibility.

Raetsel_Lapin: I don't usually comment on albums, but I'd like to be on the record as having enjoyed this one. It's not one of my absolute favorites, but there were some great songs and there weren't any songs I strongly disliked. Just a solid album all around.

Mr Lasastryke: i understand being confused by the universal praise this album received, really. like, every critic listed on wikipedia gave it a perfect score. i love the album but i think it's far from flawless.

General Album Comments (Continued)

VeryInsane: As someone who nominated Doolittle and kinda recognize the same people liking/disliking both albums, I can see a bit of a comparison. Both albums are more well known for their influence and mix some gritty popish songs with some experimental songs that influenced future bands and genres.

I like Lou Reeds style and I like the honest brashness of the album, and as someone who has been learning to be a musician it allows me to realize there is more creativity to being a musician than just being really really good at your instrument a la a Hendrix or a Neil Peart. But thats just like my opinion man.

Mr Lasastryke: i agree with this. one of the reasons why i put european son (a track that most people in this topic seem to dislike) so high is that it reminded me that technically superior instrumentalists aren't necessarily superior period. i'll take this improvisation over any "technically flawless but boring as poop" yngwie malmsteen guitar solo.

MetalmindStats: I don't feel equipped to comment on this album for many reasons, but given the discussion, I wish to establish my personal appreciation for it. Even if I didn't exactly love it overall, there wasn't one song here I disliked.

ChichiriMuyo: I re-listened to Heroin since so many people are rating it so highly and I suspect I underrated it a great deal given the merits of its lyrics and its timing and such, but I'm going to let my rating stand. I'll be that outlier. I won't listen to the full album again to re-rank it. The fact is the song gave me a headache, and the album gave me a worse one. It was literally painful to listen to, and the pain keeps going even after I've stopped listening, and I just don't get how anyone could like that.

CasanovaZelos: Funnily enough, when I did my top 250 song project, I brought up how "Heroin" gave me a headache my first listen. It might be important to note that the name of the band is taken from a book on 'the sexual corruption of our age' with leather gear on the cover. "Venus in Furs" is explicitly about sadomasochism. So, to me, that first-time headache is part of the atmosphere that makes The Velvet Underground and Nico such a singular experience - this is a pain certain people are equipped to enjoy. That headache also went away with time; I think the album is a sonic encapsulation of the so-called deviancy of its time. It's messy, dissonant, sometimes painful, but the world of art opens up to so much more potential once you adjust to its existence.

The Velvet Underground and Nico track ranking

11. The Black Angel's Death Song (Track #10)
Score: 43 (Average Rank: 8.5/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Johnbobb (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Mr Lasastryke, Seanchan (#11)

rwlh: My favorite parts of this song are the JSSSSHHHHH deflation noise and the discordant viola. Thats a very unique flavor.

10. European Son (Track #11)
Score: 56 (Average Rank: 7.67/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Mr Lasastryke, Johnbobb (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, ChichiriMuyo, BlueCrystalTear, MetalmindStats (#11)

rwlh: oh this seems like a normal sonHEY THERE LION AND GLASS BREAKING uh yeah give me more sound effects in rock music, apparently thats a thing I like. The guitar solo that follows the glass is I guess what they would call raw. I think Ive gotten used to the feedback by this point that I barely even notice it, but its especially prominent in this song. It helps create this feeling of being overwhelmed in a really uncomfortable way (in a good way). The song is just utter chaos by the end. Unfortunately, I stopped paying attention to it, so its docked a few points from that.

9. Run Run Run (Track #5)
Score: 60 (Average Rank: 7.33/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Seanchan, MetalmindStats (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): CasanovaZelos, HBJDubs, BlueCrystalTear, VeryInsane (#10)

rwlh: Ive heard this one before, many years ago, and its so catchy that its occasionally popped into my head ever since! I honestly wouldnt have expected such a catchy refrain from this album. Ive always thought it was interesting when songs have random one-second dips in volume. Run Run Run has a few of them. I can only assume theyre intentional?

8. I'll Be Your Mirror (Track #9)
Score: 61 (Average Rank: 7.08/11)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichirMuyo, HBJDubs (#3)
Biggest Detractor(s): Jesse_Custer (#11)

rwlh: Not much to say about this one either! Poor Nico.

7. There She Goes Again (Track #8)
Score: 62 (Average Rank: 7.25/11)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichirMuyo (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): VeryInsane, Johnbobb (#11)

rwlh: I dont envy any song that has to follow Heroin, though this would probably rank low even with favorable placement. Not much to really say about it.

6. All Tomorrow's Parties (Track #6)
Score: 73 (Average Rank: 6.25/11)
Biggest Fan(s): BlueCrystalTear (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Raetsel_Lapin, rwlh (#11)

rwlh: Not really into this one. Maybe its the slower pace? Like with Femme Fatale, I like Nicos singing but I havent been digging her tracks as much. I did like the sped up guitar near the end, contrasted with the regular pace of the rest of the song.

5. Femme Fatale (Track #3)
Score: 85 (Average Rank: 5.5/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Mr Lasastryke (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs (#11)

rwlh: Wow that is some feedback on that mic. I like Nicos vocals. The best descriptor I can think of for them is classy and a little sad. This song is fine but a bit underwhelming compared to the first two.

4. I'm Waiting for the Man (Track #2)
Score: 94 (Average Rank: 4.67/11)
Biggest Fan(s): ChichiriMuyo (#2)
Biggest Detractor(s): HBJDubs, MetalmindStats, Johnbobb (#7)

rwlh: Im Waiting for the Man didnt hold my interest until the line about brownstones (or thereabouts). For some reason, maybe it was hearing the somewhat repetitive backing enough times, that was when the song begun to click for me. If it were half the length, I honestly dont think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much.

3. Venus in Furs (Track #4)
Score: 98 (Average Rank: 4.67/11)
Biggest Fan(s): Jesse_Custer (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): Mr Lasastryke, MetalmindStats (#9)

rwlh: This song starts out overwhelming, with discordant guitar and deep, low drumming. I really love the effect, its very gripping. The rest of the song keeps that vibe going. The specific guitar work reminds me a bit of the Indian music influences that were prominent in rock music when this album was released I wonder if thats intentional. Notably, this was the only song on the album to make me smile; I really got into it.

2. Sunday Morning (Track #1)
Score: 107 (Average Rank: 3.92/11)
Biggest Fan(s): HBJDubs (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#8)

rwlh: Sunday Morning feels trippy and psychedelic, a nice way set a tone for the album (we shall see if it keeps this tone!).

1. Heroin (Track #7)
Score: 137 (Average Rank: 3.17/11)
Biggest Fan(s): CasanovaZelos, Raetsel_Lapin, rwlh, VeryInsane, Seanchan, MetalmindStats, Johnbobb (#1)
Biggest Detractor(s): ChichiriMuyo (#10)

rwlh: I knew going in that this was the big song from the album. It doesnt disappoint. I love the ebb and flow, starting off quiet and contemplative, then swelling into a big burst of energy, then dropping back to a quieter pace. Im not normally one to pay attention to most lyrics, but its clear Reed paints a pretty unflinching portrait of drug use. Wikipedia says the screeching instrument is an electric viola thats super effective. Heroin seems like the culmination of the album to this point.

CasanovaZelos: The first time I heard Heroin, John Cales wailing electric viola literally gave me a headache. Which is to say, I immediately fell in love and never looked back, an eternal fixture of my top two songs since I made my very first list a decade back. The appeal is in no way straightforward as I claim of so many of my other favorite songs on an album full of proto-whatever, Heroin remains the one song without significant connective tissue to music at large. Every element is so committed to supporting this sole idea that nothing could be taken or expanded upon. This exists at the forefront of experimental rock while shooting past the negative implications to land safely in the art rock zone no matter how hard this song goes, it maintains a strange accessibility.

Heroin finds four instruments and the human voice in perfect discord. The two guitars generate an introspective backbone while Moe Tuckers drumming starts with a low energy pattern. At first, Cales viola joins to merely drone in the backbone, Tuckers drumming picking up speed. Heroin is marked by crescendos, in which the drums threaten to skitter off while the viola begins to sear. Lou Reed delivers a quiet certitude, musing over the chaotic state of the world and citing heroin as the easy escape. Cales viola is the drug itself, Tuckers frantic drumming the rush. By the final crescendo, things truly go off the rails Moe Tucker momentarily stops drumming, so overwhelmed by the chaos. The viola transitions into a wailing monstrosity, yet Reeds certain voice ties everything together. This is a song so ahead of its time that it only dates itself through a Vietnam reference. Heroin may not be pleasant, but it exists as a riveting experience of music without limits.

I hope my adoration for Velvet Underground & Nico doesn't scare people away from my own week - Fleet Foxes is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum, an album trying to be as sonically pleasant as possible.

RyoCaliente did not provide any comments - the three albums are all classics in alternative rock. Bloc Party and The White Stipes are from the early 2000s, The Smiths from the 80s. Here's a sample of the most famous song off each album if that helps anyone decide.

Bloc Party - Banquet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdkmhquF60o

The Smiths - There is a Light That Never Goes Out:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siO6dkqidc4

The White Stripes - Seven Nation Army:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0J2QdDbelmY

Aww crap, forgot to do VU&N. At least you guys got the correct top 2.

I'm gonna copy over Giggsalot's comment from last topic so it can at least be in the wiki - with his vote, There She Goes Again would have fallen two spots while everything else remains the same:

Giggsalot: so, I actually listened to this for the first time in years and I enjoyed it slightly more than I remembered! that said, I'm definitely in the minority in this topic in that I kind of wish the album was more weird and abrasive, rather than less (I am also definitely in the minority in preferring nico's weirdo folk records like desertshore to anything by VU or reed). I'm a bit fan of the john cale's electric viola drones here, especially in venus in furs, but the closer this gets to "regular" 60s rock music the more I lose interest (exceptions made for sunday morning, which is cute as buttons, and european son, which is pretty rubbish).

anyway, this topic has been fascinating because I figured that: i) VU&nico was such a classic that most people would have heard it already, and ii) the last half-century of music - so much if it influenced directly by this - had taken away some of the mystery and shock factor. that a 50 year old record, and not a completely avant-garde one at that (this isn't stockhausen), can still inspire such visceral and polarized reactions is a beautiful and super cool thing.

CasanovaZelos posted...

I'm gonna copy over Giggsalot's comment from last topic so it can at least be in the wiki - with his vote, There She Goes Again would have fallen two spots while everything else remains the same:

Gotta wonder how much I impacted "All Tomorrow's Parties" by enjoying it so much for whatever reason. Can't really explain why tbh.

Also tag. I'll give this one a listen later. Never heard it before.

This album is probably going to take a few re-listens before I can really rank the tracks. In my first listen I've just liked each track more than the last, which can't be true. I think I've just hit love at first listen with this one. You're absolutely right Zelos, this album is almost as pleasing to listen to as an album can be.

Tag, will give this a good listen although I always get this and the second album mixed up

bump

Did a first listen today. Certainly a different sound than last week, that's for sure!

Got some strong Lumineers vibes from some songs. (Excuse my lack of other reference points as I bring them up again...) There's a bit of a choir/church-y kind of vibe going on here as well that I'm not sure I'm super big on?

Definitely going to take a few more listens to get my thoughts sorted out.

the first fleet foxes album reminds me of a period when indie folk seemed to be really big. i associate lumineers with that era too but also kings of convenience, bon iver, iron & wine, the tallest man on earth, fink, etc. etc.

Bump

Up

Bump

It's actually been a few years since I listened to my own nomination

bump

As their career went on, Fleet Foxes started making a sound best described as 'atmospheric folk.' Their debut feels comparatively tangible but still, well, fleeting. It's the type of album I can turn on and feel safe in, pure comfort. Time passes faster with an album like this, but that is not to say it leaves no impact - Fleet Foxes shifts effortlessly between pastoral and mountainous, like an all-encompassing portrait of America sometime during the great expansion. Fleet Foxes really carved a niche of their own while remaining completely accessible, as if they captured the sound of some forgotten era.

My ranking:
White Winter Hymnal
Blue Ridge Mountains
Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
Ragged Wood
Oliver James
He Doesn't Know Why
Sun It Rises
Your Protector
Meadowlarks
Quiet Houses
Heard Them Stirring

bump

Did a 2nd listen today. This is going to be one of those tough to rank albums, despite there being only 11 songs. I'm pretty sure I've got the #1 locked, and maybe a general idea of the other top 3-4 but after that, who knows. (Unfortunately but not really) There's no bad, easy to shove to the bottom, songs here.

Damn it, I meant to rank Velvet Underground & Nico...

1. Ragged Wood
2. Quiet Houses
3. Oliver James
4. White Winter Hymnal
5. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
6. Your Protector
7. Heard Them Stirring
8. Blue Ridge Mountains
9. Meadowlarks
10. Sun It Rises
11. He Doesn't Know Why

I didn't think this album was bad, but it also struggled to leave an impact on me. I found most of the songs very easily and quickly forgettable, even though they were all enjoyable to listen too. It just never felt like a song was going to do something special or unique.

Regarding my own nominations:

Bloc Party is my youth. It's so tied to my highschool years and Silent Alarm is such a great mix of rocking out and mellowing out to harder and softer tracks.

The Smiths are basically my life. If you've ever been or felt like an outcast, The Smiths have you covered. I'd call The Queen Is Dead a flawless album too, and it really feels like the peak of Morrissey and Marr.

Elephant is just iconic White Stripes. There are songs I enjoy more on other albums, but as a full album Elephant is probably the best structured and the easiest way to identify what the White Stripes are all about.

last day to vote

1. Heard Them Stirring
2. Your Protector
3. Quiet Houses
4. Blue Ridge Mountains
5. White Winter Hymnal
6. He Doesnt Know Why
7. Ragged Wood
8. Sun It Rises
9. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
10. Oliver James
11. Meadowlark

1: Ragged Wood
2: Blue Ridge Mountains
3: He Doesn't Know Why
4: Meadowlarks
5: Your Protector
6: Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
7: Oliver James
8: Sun It Rises
9: White Winter Hymnal
10: Quiet Houses
11: Heard Them Stirring

1. White Winter Hymnal
2. Blue Ridge Mountains
3. Your Protector
4. Ragged Wood
5. Sun It Rises
6. Heard Them Stirring
7. Quiet Houses
8. He Doesn't Know Why
9. Oliver James
10. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
11. Meadowlarks

RyoCaliente posted...

I didn't think this album was bad, but it also struggled to leave an impact on me. I found most of the songs very easily and quickly forgettable, even though they were all enjoyable to listen too. It just never felt like a song was going to do something special or unique.

I have to echo much of this sentiment, though I think on the whole I'm slightly more positive about it. As I said previously, there's no bad songs here but there's also nothing that really grabbed me. I have a feeling this is more of a slow burn album that probably grows on you over a time frame longer than a week.

1. Ragged Wood
2. Quiet Houses
3. He Doesn't Know Why
4. White Winter Hymnal
5. Sun It Rises
6. Your Protector
7. Blue Ridge Mountains
8. Heard Them Stirring
9. Meadowlarks
10. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
11. Oliver James

This is one of my favorite albums of all time. I think the entire top 9 is fantastic. The bottom 2 songs are not as strong, but they're still good indie folk songs.

1. Love Love Love
2. King and Lionheart
3. Mountain Sound
4. From Finner
5. Dirty Paws
6. Little Talks
7. Your Bones
8. Yellow Light
9. Slow and Steady
10. Lakehouse
11. Six Weeks
12. Sloom

--Oh wait, is this not Of Monsters and Men's "My Head is an Animal" again? Could've fooled me!

1. White Winter Hymnal
2. Quiet Houses
3. Ragged Wood
4. Heard Them Stirring
5. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
6. He Doesn't Know Why
7. Your Protector
8. Blue Ridge Mountains
9. Sun It Rises
10. Oliver James
11. Meadowlarks

This album is all moods. While listening I felt like I was on a cross-country trip to relive a memory I never had. It oscillates between warm and comfortable to cold and lonely, but it is in the end a wonderous journey. This is an album from which I doubt I'd ever listen to a single. It must be experienced as a whole to really get the most out of it. This was a difficult album to rank the tracks, and if I did it again in a week I'm sure everything but number 1 and number 11 would probably be different (like my initial ranking a week ago), but to me that just says how good it is throughout.

1 Heard Them Stirring
2 White Winter Hymnal
3 Your Protector
4 Blue Ridge Mountains
5 Quiet Houses
6 Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
7 He Doesn't Know Why
8 Ragged Wood
9 Oliver James
10 Meadowlarks
11 Sun It Rises

Me - Sad I wasn't around to rate "My Head is an Animal"
Also me - Sad "The Queen is Dead" won't be ranked in the near future.

ChichiriMuyo posted...

I felt like I was on a cross-country trip to relive a memory I never had.

FUCK, that sentence just tickles my brain so much!

Sadly, only had time/desire to put my mind to one listen.

I found each song pleasant to listen to in the moment, but found it hard to remember or distinguish most of them. It's a very even record and thus works well as an album, even if it suffers due to a lack of clear singles. In short, the songs are all good on their own but, when put together, fail to stand out from one another. I'd never heard of Fleet Foxes before, or at least didn't remember them, but I'd certainly say this is impressive but still very hard to rank.

1. White Winter Hymnal
2. Your Protector
3. He Doesn't Know Why
4. Blue Ridge Mountains
5. Heard Them Stirring
6. Tiger Mountain Peasant Song
7. Ragged Wood
8, Sun It Rises
9. Quiet Houses
10. Oliver James
11. Meadowlarks