Seattle is known for raw and aggressive sounds. More than any other genre, the Northwest metropolis is associated with grunge. And yet folk also has a firm place in Seattle. Back in the late 1980s, the Walkabouts established their first psychedelic folk efforts on Sub Pop, the label of Mudhoney, Nirvana and Soundgarden. So it wasn't at all far-fetched that exactly three decades later, the Fleet Foxes also set off into the wondering world, at least in the US via Sub Pop. Unlike the Walkabouts, who were firmly rooted in the spirit of college rock, Robin Pecknold and his Fleet Foxes followed in the footsteps of sixties bands like The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkel or Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. In 2008, their debut album "Fleet Foxes" thrilled listeners with such compact vocal harmonies as hadn't been heard in almost 50 years. And the melodies of their second album, "Helplessness Blues" (2011), also caressed the ear.
A lot has happened since then. Groups like Mumford & Sons successfully picked up the Fleet Foxes' formula, and Justin Vernon aka Bon Iver transformed it into a cyberfolk that would become style-defining for the decade behind. Now, with their fourth album, "Shore," the Fleet Foxes return to a claim they once staked themselves, but one that has changed extremely since then. "Shore" is a quiet, understated album. It's more about moods and thoughtful lyrics than arena-worthy anthems, and it's worth paying attention to the details. That basic introspective attitude isn't a direct result of Lockdown, though. "I started writing for 'Shore' in September 2018," Pecknold lets us know in a lyric accompanying the album. He had just returned from a 170-concert marathon, but didn't want to take another long break like he had after albums and tours before. "I wanted to work and feel meaningful. But I needed to find a new, more carefree way to my songs ...
