Beards & vests! Beards & vests! Thank you, Janet Weiss, for saying that Iron & Wine should change their name to Beards & Vests, and thank you, Stephen Malkmus, for telling Pitchfork about it. Beards & vests, of course, transcends one band into a whole genre, of which the Fleet Foxes are the most recent to reap the benefits from a relatively undiscerning fan base. As mean as that sounds, the Fleet Foxes are legitimately awesome, and their live show is one of the main reasons I dare make such a claim. They reproduce the complicated vocal arrangements and melodies flawlessly, which is a necessity for a song like “Mykonos” to work at all in an outdoor venue. High on Sparks and accompanied by some Fleet Foxes fans, I was revved on the energy of the song’s vocal breakdown halfway through: “Brother you don’t need to turn me away / I was waiting down by the ancient gate.” Okay, so it’s not the most provocative line around, but their stage banter and huge smiles revealed their sheer excitement at being adored by crowd. It was one of the most honest and heartfelt performances of the weekend, and their beards and vests looked great.

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