Fleet Foxes
One of the most prominent bands to emerge during the late-2000s indie folk boom, Seattle's Fleet Foxes fuse earthy, harmony-rich folk-rock with a sense of lush pop sophistication calling to mind the late-'60s work of acts like the Beach Boys, the Zombies, and Fairport Convention. Both their self-titled debut and 2011 follow-up, Helplessness Blues, were produced by Phil Ek and released by Sub Pop; the former was greeted by critical acclaim, and the latter earned a Grammy nomination. Following a six-year gap and a switch to Nonesuch, Fleet Foxes returned with the expansive Crack-Up in 2017. In September 2020, with almost no warning, the band issued their fourth album, Shore, along with a short film.
Formed in 2006 by longtime friends Robin Pecknold (lead vocals/guitar) and Skyler Skjelset (guitar, mandolin, vocals), the band's primary lineup grew to include Casey Wescott (keyboards, mandolin, vocals), Christian Wargo (bass, guitar, vocals), and Nicholas Peterson (drums, vocals). Mixing Baroque pop with elements of classic rock and British folk, the band quickly generated a healthy amount of label interest and caught the attention of local producer Phil Ek, who had previously helmed records by Built to Spill and the Shins. Signing with Sub Pop in early 2008, Fleet Foxes issued the Ek-produced Sun Giant EP, followed a few months later by their self-titled debut album. A critical success at home in the U.S., Fleet Foxes fared even better in Europe and the U.K., where the album went platinum and landed atop numerous year-end best-of lists. Shortly after the album's release, Peterson was replaced on drums by singer/songwriter Josh Tillman who would remain with the band for the next four years until reinventing himself as Father John Misty in 2012.
With Ek returning as producer, the band began recording sessions for their follow-up LP, seeking a more cohesive, live feel. The resulting album, 2011's Helplessness Blues, expanded on Fleet Foxes' lush sound and was again widely praised by critics, going gold in the U.K. and earning them a Grammy nomination for Best Folk Album back in the U.S. Following several major tours and the departure of Tillman on drums, the group entered a hiatus made effective by Pecknold's 2014 relocation to New York City, where he enrolled to pursue a degree at Columbia University. Things remained quiet until mid-2016, when it was revealed that the band had returned to the recording studio. In early 2017, it was announced Fleet Foxes had signed with Nonesuch to release their third album, Crack-Up, named after an essay by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Ambitious in scope and bearing a more progressive sound than their earlier work, Crack-Up was released in June 2017.
The following year, the group celebrated the tenth anniversary of their debut album with the release of First Collection 2006-2009, which brought together their first album, early EPs, B-sides, and a selection of rarities. Released with only a single day's warning, Fleet Foxes' fourth album, the Grammy-nominated Shore, appeared on September 22, 2020 -- at 13:31 coordinated time, to be exact -- to coincide with the autumnal equinox. It was accompanied by a 55-minute short film shot and directed on 16mm film by Kersti Jan Werdal. Three months later, on the winter solstice, at the church of St. Ann & the Holy Trinity in Brooklyn, New York, the band's Robin Pecknold performed a livestream, playing a selection from the band's catalog on solo acoustic, plus a cover of the Bee Gees' "In the Morning." He was accompanied on one track by a choir, the Resistance Revival Chorus. The set was recorded and released about a year later as the live album A Very Lonely Solstice.
© Timothy Monger /TiVo
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Discography
19 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Fleet Foxes
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 3 Jun 2008
Pitchfork: Best New Music24-Bit 88.2 kHz - Stereo -
Shore
Alternative & Indie - Released by Anti - Epitaph on 22 Sep 2020
Pitchfork: Best New Music24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Very Lonely Solstice (Solstice Version)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Anti - Epitaph on 10 Dec 2021
24-Bit 48.0 kHz - Stereo -
Helplessness Blues
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 3 May 2011
Pitchfork: Best New Music24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
A Sky Like I've Never Seen (From the Amazon Original Movie "Wildcat")
Alternative & Indie - Released by Amazon Content Services LLC on 9 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
First Collection: 2006-2009
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 9 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Crack-Up (Choral Version) / In the Morning (Live in Switzerland)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 4 May 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Crack-Up (Choral Version) / In the Morning (Live in Switzerland)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 4 May 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Fleet Foxes
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 3 Jun 2008
Pitchfork: Best New Music16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Helplessness Blues
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 3 May 2011
Pitchfork: Best New Music16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Third of May / Ōdaigahara (Edit)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 10 Mar 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
On Another Ocean (January / June) (Edit)
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 29 Sep 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Icicle Tusk
Alternative & Indie - Released by Nonesuch on 25 Oct 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo