Signing a two album deal seemed like a clever idea to a bunch of outsiders with no expectation of success. But then album number one went global, audiences went crazy, and all of a sudden, Fleet Foxes were guarding the hen house. They talk to Jim Carroll

IT'S A little strange to hear Robin Pecknold talk about the expectations he and his fellow Fleet Foxes had for their debut album. As the frontman explains, they fully expected the album to do absolutely zilch. "We signed a contract with Sub Pop for two albums and that was kind of security for us. We thought 'well, this record won't get any reaction so we will, at least, get two albums out of this deal'."

He pauses to gather his thoughts about what has happened since the album was released. "Everything that has happened is just bizarre. I didn't think it would met with any acceptance at all. I certainly didn't think all this would happen."

Pecknold and the band are waking up in Salt Lake City after an overnight drive from Denver. Their year has been full of such treks as more and more people are smitten by their self-titled album and rush out to see the band play in venues which are increasing in size with every passing month. The band will now be on the road until at least next January.

The reason for such excitement comes down to a bunch of Seattle twentysomethings making the sort of blissful sounds which seem not to be of this age. The five perform their sun-dappled pastoral folk-pop with charming, easy-go-lucky gusto all wrapped up in harmonies which will send the mind roaming towards mountains and valleys. Every track on the album is ravishing, every note perfectly placed and every sound wonderfully ethereal.

But when it comes to talking about that music, Pecknold turns reticent.

Writing these songs in his basement was easy, but trying to explain those other-worldly images, such as packs running in the snow with scarves of red tied round their throats, seems to be a chore he'd rather skip. He's not rude about it, more just unwilling to show and tell.

He does admit, though, that there's a degree of camouflage to his songwriting. "A lot of the lyrics are based on real events, but I have a tendency to obscure or put a smokescreen over those references and turn them almost into fables. That can be a bad habit, I suppose."

Perhaps such hesitation comes with the isolation from the wider world which has served Pecknold well to date. While someone like Bon Iver's Justin Vernon escaped to a cabin in the wilds to shoot deer and find his muse, Pecknold just sat at home in Seattle and shunned the world.

"It's good to isolate yourself when you're making music," he believes.

"Although I live in the city, I don't live a city life. We're not after the sound of the city like Interpol or someone, so I couldn't write songs about partying and going out because that's not what I do. I'm a fan of nature and outdoors life, so I think there's some nostalgia to what we do at times."

It's what their newly found audience wants too. "I think people do respond to that quality in the music. When I meet people outside the venue after the show in whatever city we're in, the conversation will turn to something like our favourite national park and that's cool. We're not the type to have favourite nightclubs."

Pecknold is happier to talk about other lyricists, citing Leonard Cohen as an example of a craftsman he admires. "It seems that you actually learn something from his songs in a way which doesn't happen with other songwriters. You can actually take something away from a lot of what he writes." When he talks about the likes of Cohen or Bob Dylan, it's clear that he's buying into the whole package.

"I like to feel that I can believe in the people behind the music because that in some way enriches the experience," Pecknold maintains. "Bob Dylan is a case in point. He's always stuck to his guns and you admire the music that little bit more because of that. He's created an ideal and he continues to represent that.

"Music has to be more than how catchy a melody is or how deft a turn of phrase someone can come up with. The music is a mirror of what the artist is."

Pecknold is beginning to cop on to the power of that relationship in the case of his own band. There's currently a MP3 doing the rounds of Fleet Foxes and Wilco covering Dylan's I Shall Be Releasedat a show in Oregon earlier this year. Fans can get their hands on the track by simply pledging to vote in the forthcoming US presidential election.

There's no doubt about which side Pecknold is on in that joust. "We were delighted to be involved in that MP3 project because this could be such an important election. It has been interesting touring around America at this time and keeping up with the debates and twists and turns of the campaigns.

"Everyone is really enthusiastic about the lead Barack Obama has built up in the polls, so if things go according to plan, this will be a landmark election."

Regardless of who takes over the White House in January, the Fleet Foxes will continue to tour and tour and tour. For someone who values his isolation to think and write, there must be occasions when Pecknold would prefer not to be on the tour bus. "I enjoy touring now more than I did on the first tour," he says. "Back then, I was really distraught about not having any time to write music because I had become so used to doing that all the time for the last seven years. Now, I see touring as rewarding.

"But if we kept touring this album any longer, it will get frustrating. I don't want to keep touring beyond the dates in Australia and New Zealand in January. If we stay on the road, we'd start to lose enthusiasm for the show and that would not be fun to watch."

Fleet Foxes play Vicar Street, Dublin, on November 7th. Hear songs from their album at www.myspace.com/fleetfoxes