Don't let their beards or otherworldly acoustic jams fool you - Seattle indie folk giants Fleet Foxes have embraced technology. In a recent interview with BBC News [via TwentyFourBit], Fleet Foxes front-man Robin Pecknold said that music is better because of piracy on the internet.
"I think we're seeing that now with tons of new bands that are amazing, and are doing way better music now than was being made pre-Napster," Pecknold said. "That was how I discovered almost everything when I was a teenager - my dad brought home a modem... That was how I was exposed to almost all of the music that I love to this day, and still that's the easiest way to find really obscure stuff."
Among these albums were Brian Wilson's classic Smile and the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle. When asked if he minded that people download Fleet Foxes' record, he was quick to answer, "I've downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records - why would I care if somebody downloads ours? That's such a petty thing to care about. I mean, how much money does one person need? I think it's disgusting when people complain about that, personally."
"I think we're seeing that now with tons of new bands that are amazing, and are doing way better music now than was being made pre-Napster," Pecknold said. "That was how I discovered almost everything when I was a teenager - my dad brought home a modem... That was how I was exposed to almost all of the music that I love to this day, and still that's the easiest way to find really obscure stuff."
Among these albums were Brian Wilson's classic Smile and the Zombies' Odessey and Oracle. When asked if he minded that people download Fleet Foxes' record, he was quick to answer, "I've downloaded hundreds and hundreds of records - why would I care if somebody downloads ours? That's such a petty thing to care about. I mean, how much money does one person need? I think it's disgusting when people complain about that, personally."
