The Martlet

“This is a place for everyone,” Fleet Foxes’ singer-guitarist Robin Pecknold said between songs at Element nightclub on Sept. 17.

Whether the remark was prompted by the immense throng of people cluttered in the sold-out club or by the diversity of individual styles and cultures represented, the statement was certainly true. Fleet Foxes brought together people of all ages and tastes in a harmonious night of musical admiration.

The set began with the vocals-only intro to “Sun Giant” with members harmonizing the tranquil lyrics: “What a life I lead in the winded breeze; what a life I lead in the spring.”

The band then switched effortlessly into “Sun It Rises” with lead guitarist Skyler Skjelset using the violin bow à la Jimmy Page.

This was followed by a small break, a motif that characterized much of the set. Far from being any sort of deterrence, these short breaks allowed listeners to treat the songs as individual works with their own strengths and subtleties.

Returning with “English House,” “White Winter Hymnal” and “Your Protector,” (some of the strongest songs off their critically acclaimed self-titled debut) the band hardly skipped a beat, garnering as much audience participation as at any point in the set.

“Your Protector” was particularly rich with hypnotic tones emanating from Casey Wescott’s vintage organ and keyboards and an added bass-heavy breakdown.

The song itself is masterly crafted, reaching climactic heights with Pecknold howling the haunting chorus, “As you lay to die beside me baby on the morning that you came, would you wait for me?”

Despite pastoral, tranquil imagery throughout their songs, the band often conveys haunting undertones of a kind of quiet, noble suffering.

The songs are emotionally rich and carefully crafted and have been adapted beautifully for the stage. Without compromising any of the subtle emotional resonances of the songs, the band played at a higher intensity than on their recordings.

They were also true to the softer, more delicate songs as demonstrated when Pecknold returned alone after another short break to play an extremely powerful version of the acoustic “Oliver James.”

After warning that they didn’t have it quite down in terms of live performance, the band performed one of their more instrumentally (if not lyrically) complex songs, “Quiet Houses.” “He Doesn’t Know Why” followed, causing the band to reach its zenith of the set. The song was steadily driven by drummer Josh Tillman’s work on the floor tom, and climbed higher and higher through the repetition of a nearly perfect chord progression and melody.

As if in intuitive reaction to the unstated collective will of the crowd, Fleet Foxes followed with the highlight song of the Sun Giant EP, “Mykonos.” With acoustic guitar and harmonious humming akin to fellow folk-rockers The Shins’ “New Slang,” the song gradually draws the listener in and grows stronger with each verse. The song’s peak is a complex vocal harmony of the lyrics, “You go wherever you go today,” reminiscent of only the very best of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young songs.

For the encore, Pecknold returned alone for the hauntingly beautiful “Tiger Mountain Peasant Song.” With lyrics like “Through the forest down to your grave/ Where the birds wait and the tall grasses wave/ They do not know you anymore,” Pecknold’s voice conveys an honesty and vulnerability rare even in independent music.

They closed with “Blue Ridge Mountains,” which culminated varying elements of previous songs, and offered a perfect conclusion to the night. Each member demonstrated a certain mastery over an array of instruments, epitomized by the song’s excessive percussion, including Tillman’s masterful use of

two tambourines.