AMG Review of Sun Giant EP

Heather Phares
All Music Guide

Fleet Foxes cover a lot of territory -- both musical and geographical -- on Sun Giant, their debut EP for Sub Pop. The band's close, pristine harmonies and spare arrangements are at once timeless and a breath of fresh air, sharing roots with '60s folk-rock, 2000s indie pop, and ageless traditional songs. Fleet Foxes feel like they're singing to, and for, themselves on the EP, particularly on the title track, which lingers on their harmonies before drifting off on an acoustic guitar melody. Even on "Drops in the River," which builds from similarly simple beginnings to big drums and plugged-in guitars, the gentle beauty of the Foxes' melodies remains the same. From "English House"'s sparkling autoharps to the dreamy, soft rock-tinged "Mykonos," Sun Giant plays like it was culled from a backpacker's travel journal. With this intimate, organic, and tantalizing first glimpse at their music, Fleet Foxes sound like they've been making music a lot longer than their ages would suggest. Call it old soul music.