Fleet Foxes Make Rolling Stone, Time's Year-End Lists

Fleet Foxes at Neumo's on April 18. Video created for Seattle Weekly by Jason Reid, Darren Lund, and David Smith.

Earlier this year, just after Fleet Foxes inked a deal with Sub Pop, I sent an email to frontman Robin Pecknold -- whose sister, Aja, was then our clubs editor -- to congratulate him and wish him well. In his reply he said, "Here goes nothing, right?"

I think it's fair to say that Pecknold and Co. have exceeded all expectations in 2008. And while the band, their self-titled debut, and any number of its cuts are likely to turn up on hundreds of year-end lists, I find it impressive and appropriate that their "White Winter Hymnal" made Time's "Top 10 Songs" list at number 5 (above Beyonce's "Single Ladies"), and Rolling Stone placed the LP at number 11 (Axl, er, Guns N' Roses' Chinese Democracy came in at 12). It's crazy to think that the 22-year-old Pecknold was only seven the last time GNR put out a record. In a way, it took 15 years for both of these records to come out. The kid's was just better.