Noah Wortham

“Shore” is the new album by indie folk band Fleet Foxes. The Seattle-based project has been around since 2006 and is currently comprised of members Robin Pecknold, Skyler Skjelset, Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo and Morgan Henderson. It is their first release since their 2017 album “Crack-up” and the second album since their three-year hiatus.  The album was purposefully released on Sept. 22 right on the autumnal equinox. Recording for the album began back in September of last year which shows that a majority of the record was recorded during the pandemic this year; a situation that helped to inspire the album.   The album is opened with the vocals of guest artist Uwade Akhere rather than the usual lead Robin Pecknold. Pecknold told Apple Music that “a friend of mine sent me a clip of Uwade Akhere covering “Mykonos” on Instagram and I was just in love with the texture of her voice.” He continues, “That was a signal that this was going to be a different kind of album in some ways.”  A statement that especially proves true upon the first hearing the album’s opening “Wading in Waist-High Water.” Despite the usual acoustic guitars and accompaniment expected on a Fleet Foxes album, the vocals help to establish a more melancholic tone than usual. Much of the instrumentation takes a back seat to the acoustic guitar and vocals. They help to provide a subtle background that leads to a crescendo of trumpets and drums. The track then closes out with...