A baroqian wonder that feels like it's being transmitted from some distant childhood memory, "White Winter Hymnal" (from the recently released, self-titled full length debut of Seattle Sub Pop signees, the Fleet Foxes) reminds one of pop's enchanting powers through it's winsome use of five-part male harmonies repeating the same seven lines over and over to sparse, reverb-drenched instrumentation.

Despite telling a story that takes place in the coldest time of year, the manly marriage of voices convey a certain chirpy sunniness, capturing the joy that surrounds the adorable image of young tots in red scarves and winter coats bumbling through the snow. But the titular season setting isn't at all lost. The still haze of Gregorian chant-meets-doo wop "ooohs" and a steady chiming backbeat entrench the song in a thick wintry chill, conjuring up the mental illustrations of their every word emitting small plumes of misty frost into the freezing air.

"White Winter Hymnal" might consist of less than a handful of elements, but to the Foxes it manages to be more than enough, resulting in a near-magical aural masterwork that'll probably be the most awe-inducing thing you'll hear all year.



DL: "White Winter Hymnal" (YFH)