Fleet Foxes

I went to a focus group for musicians Sunday, part of a library science project for the UW's iSchool, and met a nice woman, Peggi Skjelset, who was one of the facilitators. We were talking about musical equipment, and she explained her son Skyler's band kept two sets of vintage instruments—one in the US and one in Europe. Whoa. That got my attention.

Who are they? Fleet Foxes. One of Sub Pop's latest gifts to the world, and definitely worth checking out if you haven't heard them yet. Their sound is tough to categorize, but Pitchfork did a pretty nice job: "Rather than revive a particular scene or re-create a lost sound, the Seattle quintet cherrypick their ideas from a broad spectrum of styles, pulling in Appalachian folk, classic rock, AM country, and SoCal pop to create a personal synthesis of the music of their peers, their parents, and even their grandparents.

If you want to hear a free sample, go to their Myspace. It's fresh and sounds like perfect holiday music to me.