Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up
Updated: Nov 12, 2019
2017
Progressive / Psychedelic / Chamber Folk
Nonesuch Records
Robin Pecknold and company elevate their sound to another plane on 'Crack-Up', their third album and most fully-realized artistic statement yet. The darkness that started to creep in on 'Helplessness Blues' permeates the lush soundscapes on display here without jumping headfirst into complete melancholy. What the album lacks in immediate melodies it more than makes up for with atmosphere and texture. A whole slew of various stringed instruments and keys work together to build the immense swathes of sound that accompany Robin's otherworldly vocals. This is an album that requires a few passes through to figure out, as it seems at first that the band has almost completely jettisoned the tunefulness of their previous work. Given time, the multi-layered harmonies and textural majesty of the songs will blossom into view. It will be intriguing to see where the band heads after this.
