Fleet Foxes, Post modernity and an incredible new album…. I am a big Fleet Foxes fan. Their first self titled record was a massive breath of fresh air back in 2008 and I’ve been anticipating their new record ever since. ‘Helplessness Blues’ was released last month and, after my first listen, fell in love with it. It’s a folk album full of groove and some truly brilliant lyric writing. Some of which has really gotten me excited. I want to look at three tracks in particular; ‘Montezuma’, ‘Helplessness Blues’ and ‘Grown Ocean’. These songs seem to ask big questions about fame, materialism, purpose, creation and heaven. Montezuma The first track called ‘Montezuma’ seems to be a very brave and honest opening to an album, a track reflecting on what ‘he used to be’ - on how maybe fame and fortune were passing, frivolous times and that now he is older he feels he is changing. So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter now what does that say about me Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love could I wash my hands of just looking out for me Oh man what I used to be Oh man oh my oh me Oh man what I used to be Oh man oh my oh me In dearth or in excess both the slave and the empress will return to the dirt I guess, naked as when they came I wonder if I’ll see any faces above me or just cracks in the ceiling nobody else to blame Oh man what I used to be Oh man oh my oh me Oh man that I used to be Oh man oh my oh me Gold teeth and gold jewellery every piece of your dowry throw them into the tomb with me bury them with my name I love the honesty of this song - especially at the start of a record. This is a songwriter who is still discovering what the meaning of his life is.  In dearth or in excess both the slave and the empress will return to the dirt I guess, naked as when they came The whole ‘materialistic’ meaningless theme continues into track two called ‘Bedouin Dress’ he sings:  If to borrow is to take and not return I have borrowed all my lonesome life And I can’t, no I can’t get through The borrower’s debt is the only regret of my youth And believe me it’s not easy when I look back Everything I took got soon returned Just to be adding it’s free again All of the sirens are driving me over the stern Is this a man truly reflecting on his beliefs, his life, and his purpose? It makes for an exciting start to an album! Helplessness Blues Helplessness Blues is the lead single from the album, and it contains so many fascinating theological themes. I was raised up believing I was somehow unique Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes Unique in each way you can see And now after some thinking I’d say I’d rather be A functioning cog in some great machinery Serving something beyond me But I don’t, I don’t know what that will be I’ll get back to you someday soon you will see What’s my name, what’s my station Oh just tell me what I should do I don’t need to be kind to the armies of night That would do such injustice to you Or bow down and be grateful And say “Sure take all that you see” To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls And determine my future for me And I don’t, I don’t know who to believe I’ll get back to you someday soon you will see If I know only one thing It’s that every thing that I see Of the world outside is so inconceivable Often I barely can speak Yeah I’m tongue tied and dizzy And I can’t keep it to myself What good is it to sing helplessness blues? Why should I wait for anyone else? And I know, I know you will keep me on the shelf I’ll come back to you someday soon myself For me this song screams ‘conversion experience’. I remember when a friend of mine became a follower of Jesus in a big tent at a Christian festival. I remember that the only way he could explain this experience was that ‘everything was different now’ the way he looked at trees, at people, and at himself had changed.  And I think that the first two verses of this song are all about that: I was raised up believing I was somehow unique Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes Unique in each way you can see And now after some thinking I’d say I’d rather be A functioning cog in some great machinery Serving something beyond me A modern day change from atheism to believing and following God could be put into simpler terms, going from a post-modern way of thinking i.e. thinking about yourself first and rejecting a ‘bigger story’  (meta-narrative) for your life and instead thinking about others, seeing yourself as part of something a bit bigger than yours truly. Robin Pecknold is doing just that – going from a ‘unique snowflake’ to a ‘cog in some great machinery’. And that is what Jesus calls us to isn’t it? To look at our world through the creators eyes, to treat each other as if they were our brothers and sisters. Jesus calls us to be in relationship with, not just each other, but also with the creator God. This song has challenged me to reflect on what it means for me to be ‘a functioning cog’ in the story that God has invited me to be a part of. What is my role? How can I do my fathers will? Where and how can I be most effective? Pecknold has never said that he is a Christian or particularly spiritually minded, this verse may speak volumes: If I know only one thing It’s that every thing that I see Of the world outside is so inconceivable Often I barely can speak Often for me, simply looking at creation reminds me of how awesome God is. He also reflects on creation in the last but one track called ‘Blue spotted tail’:  Why in the night sky are the lights on? Why is the earth moving round the sun? Floating in the vacuum with no purpose, not a one Why in the night sky are the lights on? Grown Ocean But it’s in the last song on the album ‘Grown Ocean’ where these themes and questions seem to come to a conclusion. Here are the lyrics: In that dream I’m as old as the mountains Still is starlight reflected in fountains Children grown on the edge of the ocean Kept like jewellery kept with devotion In that dream moving slow through the morning You would come to me then without answers Lick my wounds and remove my demands for now Eucalyptus and orange trees are blooming In that dream there’s no darkness alluded In that dream moving slow through the morning time In that dream I could hardly contain it All my life I will wait to attain it There, there, there I know someday the smoke will all burn off All these voices I’ll someday have turned off I will see you someday when I’ve woken I’ll be so happy just to have spoken I’ll have so much to tell you about it In that dream I could hardly contain it All my life I will wait to attain it There, there, there Wide-eyed walker, don’t betray me I will wake one day, don’t delay me Wide-eyed leaver, always going It’s a great song and a brilliant way to end a record. A folk song at heart but with an addictively simple beat and groove; with those classic staple Fleet Foxes harmonies, it has to be one of the best songs they have ever written. And I find the lyrics in this song fascinating.  It seems to be a song about heaven, about a place where Pecknold aims to be when he dies. Where children are ‘kept like jewellery with devotion’ and where he is ‘moving slowly through the morning’ – serene and relaxing metaphors. Pecknold talks of someone who will lick his wounds and a place that has no darkness. And it has a chorus that is brimming with hope. This ‘dream’ sees Pecknold wanting more and more, he is going to live his life trying to attain it.  This last song reminds me of the last book of the bible – Revelation. A book all about a dream that John has about the end of time. Where he sees heaven, and God and, like Pecknold, has ‘so much to tell you about it’ as he is singing the song it sounds like he will explode unless he tells us all about it. And I reflect that this is how I should be living my life. I believe in Jesus Christ, in his ministry, his death and resurrection, and I want to live my life telling everybody I meet all about it. But I don’t do this as often as I should. I’m going to try and change that. So there are my reflections on one of the best albums of the year so far…. what do you think? Ben

Fleet Foxes, Post modernity and an incredible new album….

I am a big Fleet Foxes fan. Their first self titled record was a massive breath of fresh air back in 2008 and I’ve been anticipating their new record ever since.


‘Helplessness Blues’ was released last month and, after my first listen, fell in love with it. It’s a folk album full of groove and some truly brilliant lyric writing. Some of which has really gotten me excited.


I want to look at three tracks in particular; ‘Montezuma’, ‘Helplessness Blues’ and ‘Grown Ocean’. These songs seem to ask big questions about fame, materialism, purpose, creation and heaven.


Montezuma


The first track called ‘Montezuma’ seems to be a very brave and honest opening to an album, a track reflecting on what ‘he used to be’ - on how maybe fame and fortune were passing, frivolous times and that now he is older he feels he is changing.


So now I am older than my mother and father

when they had their daughter

now what does that say about me


Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love

could I wash my hands of

just looking out for me


Oh man what I used to be

Oh man oh my oh me

Oh man what I used to be

Oh man oh my oh me


In dearth or in excess

both the slave and the empress

will return to the dirt I guess, naked as when they came


I wonder if I’ll see any faces above me

or just cracks in the ceiling

nobody else to blame


Oh man what I used to be

Oh man oh my oh me

Oh man that I used to be

Oh man oh my oh me


Gold teeth and gold jewellery

every piece of your dowry

throw them into the tomb with me

bury them with my name


I love the honesty of this song - especially at the start of a record. This is a songwriter who is still discovering what the meaning of his life is. 


In dearth or in excess

both the slave and the empress

will return to the dirt I guess, naked as when they came


The whole ‘materialistic’ meaningless theme continues into track two called ‘Bedouin Dress’ he sings: 

If to borrow is to take and not return

I have borrowed all my lonesome life

And I can’t, no I can’t get through

The borrower’s debt is the only regret of my youth


And believe me it’s not easy when I look back

Everything I took got soon returned

Just to be adding it’s free again

All of the sirens are driving me over the stern


Is this a man truly reflecting on his beliefs, his life, and his purpose? It makes for an exciting start to an album!


Helplessness Blues


Helplessness Blues is the lead single from the album, and it contains so many fascinating theological themes.


I was raised up believing

I was somehow unique

Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes

Unique in each way you can see


And now after some thinking

I’d say I’d rather be

A functioning cog in some great machinery

Serving something beyond me


But I don’t, I don’t know what that will be

I’ll get back to you someday soon you will see


What’s my name, what’s my station

Oh just tell me what I should do

I don’t need to be kind to the armies of night

That would do such injustice to you


Or bow down and be grateful

And say “Sure take all that you see”

To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls

And determine my future for me


And I don’t, I don’t know who to believe

I’ll get back to you someday soon you will see


If I know only one thing

It’s that every thing that I see

Of the world outside is so inconceivable

Often I barely can speak


Yeah I’m tongue tied and dizzy

And I can’t keep it to myself

What good is it to sing helplessness blues?

Why should I wait for anyone else?


And I know, I know you will keep me on the shelf

I’ll come back to you someday soon myself


For me this song screams ‘conversion experience’. I remember when a friend of mine became a follower of Jesus in a big tent at a Christian festival. I remember that the only way he could explain this experience was that ‘everything was different now’ the way he looked at trees, at people, and at himself had changed. 


And I think that the first two verses of this song are all about that:


I was raised up believing

I was somehow unique

Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes

Unique in each way you can see


And now after some thinking

I’d say I’d rather be

A functioning cog in some great machinery

Serving something beyond me


A modern day change from atheism to believing and following God could be put into simpler terms, going from a post-modern way of thinking i.e. thinking about yourself first and rejecting a ‘bigger story’  (meta-narrative) for your life and instead thinking about others, seeing yourself as part of something a bit bigger than yours truly. Robin Pecknold is doing just that – going from a ‘unique snowflake’ to a ‘cog in some great machinery’.


And that is what Jesus calls us to isn’t it? To look at our world through the creators eyes, to treat each other as if they were our brothers and sisters. Jesus calls us to be in relationship with, not just each other, but also with the creator God. This song has challenged me to reflect on what it means for me to be ‘a functioning cog’ in the story that God has invited me to be a part of. What is my role? How can I do my fathers will? Where and how can I be most effective?


Pecknold has never said that he is a Christian or particularly spiritually minded, this verse may speak volumes:


If I know only one thing

It’s that every thing that I see

Of the world outside is so inconceivable

Often I barely can speak


Often for me, simply looking at creation reminds me of how awesome God is. He also reflects on creation in the last but one track called ‘Blue spotted tail’: 


Why in the night sky are the lights on?

Why is the earth moving round the sun?

Floating in the vacuum with no purpose, not a one

Why in the night sky are the lights on?


Grown Ocean


But it’s in the last song on the album ‘Grown Ocean’ where these themes and questions seem to come to a conclusion. Here are the lyrics:

In that dream I’m as old as the mountains

Still is starlight reflected in fountains

Children grown on the edge of the ocean

Kept like jewellery kept with devotion


In that dream moving slow through the morning


You would come to me then without answers

Lick my wounds and remove my demands for now

Eucalyptus and orange trees are blooming

In that dream there’s no darkness alluded


In that dream moving slow through the morning time


In that dream I could hardly contain it

All my life I will wait to attain it

There, there, there


I know someday the smoke will all burn off

All these voices I’ll someday have turned off

I will see you someday when I’ve woken

I’ll be so happy just to have spoken

I’ll have so much to tell you about it


In that dream I could hardly contain it

All my life I will wait to attain it

There, there, there


Wide-eyed walker, don’t betray me

I will wake one day, don’t delay me

Wide-eyed leaver, always going


It’s a great song and a brilliant way to end a record. A folk song at heart but with an addictively simple beat and groove; with those classic staple Fleet Foxes harmonies, it has to be one of the best songs they have ever written. And I find the lyrics in this song fascinating. 


It seems to be a song about heaven, about a place where Pecknold aims to be when he dies. Where children are ‘kept like jewellery with devotion’ and where he is ‘moving slowly through the morning’ – serene and relaxing metaphors. Pecknold talks of someone who will lick his wounds and a place that has no darkness.


And it has a chorus that is brimming with hope. This ‘dream’ sees Pecknold wanting more and more, he is going to live his life trying to attain it. 


This last song reminds me of the last book of the bible – Revelation. A book all about a dream that John has about the end of time. Where he sees heaven, and God and, like Pecknold, has ‘so much to tell you about it’ as he is singing the song it sounds like he will explode unless he tells us all about it.


And I reflect that this is how I should be living my life. I believe in Jesus Christ, in his ministry, his death and resurrection, and I want to live my life telling everybody I meet all about it. But I don’t do this as often as I should. I’m going to try and change that.


So there are my reflections on one of the best albums of the year so far…. what do you think?


Ben

  1. Date Posted Icon 9th May 2011