Shore- Fleet Foxes

(Album) (Indie) (Folk) (Pop)

Shore is the fourth studio album release by the American band, Fleet Foxes, and comes at an odd moment in time. It was mostly written during the period leading up to the coronavirus pandemic, and recorded entirely by the singer and songwriter, Robin Pecknold, due to the restrictions that came along with it. Something about this is extremely within character for the band, who is no stranger to dark content on their past releases, like 2008’s self-titled, 2011’s Helplessness Blues—which is one of my favorite albums ever—and even 2017’s Crack Up, three albums which captured the band’s evolution in bleak tones.

Jumping right into discussion about the album itself, we can already see how the band has evolved their sound even further. The track, “Quiet Air / Giola“—although sounding like a song off of Helplessness Blues—has a groove to it that is reminiscent of the danceable indie pop that became popular last decade. “A Long Way Past the Past”, however, captures this sound the most, as its groove seems to capture the spirit of 1980s revivalism, especially with its plucky, reverb heavy, guitar line, and its popping drum rhythm.

While, some of their sound has evolved into more an indie pop direction, they fuze it into the styles they have become known for. Throughout the album, their folk influences can still be heard, and their beautiful harmonies and echoey vocals are, also, still present. In songs like “Going-to-the-Sun-Road” you can even hear a beautiful keyboard line, as well as a horn section laid on top of it all. It is this track, I believe, that encompasses the feel of the album the best, as it is a beautiful 4-minute track showcasing the band’s catchy melodies, ear-pleasing instrumentals, as well as serving to be an example of the band’s musical evolution over the past decade.

“Maestranza”—my personal favorite track off of the album—also exists in this mixture of the band’s folky and pop sounds, and is probably the catchiest song off of this release.

Lyrically, Pecknold explained this album to be a continuation of the darker themes explored on the previous album, as well as a celebration following that darkness. On the second track, “Sunblind”, we see him lyrically exploring a concept of ‘carrying a torch’ for musicians that had passed away, some at young ages, some due to suicide, some due to forces beyond their control. In this vein, the lyrics are part of the morose ‘helplessness’ that has always laid within each of their song’s poetry.

On the other hand, we also experience Pecknold’s other lyrical side, the appreciation for life’s beauty. The closing track, “Shore”, talks of this concept of needing shade, and needing “sand on my feet”, saying that are “safe on the shore”. This absolute love of nature, and this seeking out the things in life that individually makes this person happy, is brought to the forefront of the lyrics. In this way, not all is bleak in the world created within Pecknold’s lyrics; there is a kind of hopefulness to it, just as much as there is a helplessness.

As a final note to Pecknold’s poetry consistently dealing with the battle between helplessness and hopefulness, in “I’m Not My Season”, the lines, “We’re weak but a leaf is turning” appear. I believe that this best encompasses everything I have been discussing, as the lyrics admit the helplessness we may find ourselves in, but also admits to the hopefulness that we can find if we wait long enough, or actively seek it out. By admitting to both, the band remove themselves from saying one prevails over the other and, instead, reason it to be two parts of the same whole, the push and pull of life, or like the ebb and flow of waves on a shore.

FAVORITE TRACKS: Featherweight, For A Week Or Two, Maestranza, I’m Not My Season, Quiet Air / Giola, Going-to-the-Sun-Road

Give the album a listen: https://open.spotify.com/album/0lmjCPEcec2k6L7ysNIcd3?si=3QaDsWb5T0eZjXVZ8ivf4Q