Shore
by Fleet Foxes
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 110 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 100 out of 110
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 110
  3. Negative: 5 out of 110
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  1. felix_717
    Sep 23, 2020
    10
    Amazing album from front to back, amazing vocals and melodies and a great improvement from crack up
  2. Jdeykin
    Sep 24, 2020
    10
    Kismet finally brought Fleet Foxes and me together two years ago. I had flown into Prague on a short break and to my delight the first thing I encountered was a poster advertising their gig – that night – at the Lucerna Music Bar. It was a magical, unforgettable evening that featured Crack-Up in its wonderful entirety and many songs from the back catalogue. This new album, Shore, doesn’tKismet finally brought Fleet Foxes and me together two years ago. I had flown into Prague on a short break and to my delight the first thing I encountered was a poster advertising their gig – that night – at the Lucerna Music Bar. It was a magical, unforgettable evening that featured Crack-Up in its wonderful entirety and many songs from the back catalogue. This new album, Shore, doesn’t disappoint. Rather than what might at first be seen as an outright return to the Foxes’ early, pastoral days, it’s a further elaboration of Robin Pecknold’s musical and intellectual journey and, as he has said, what many will judge to be a ‘friendly companion’ to 2017s Crack-Up. Superb.… Expand
  3. Mike_Trev
    Sep 24, 2020
    9
    An excellent product from Robin and company. This album continues Fleet Foxes' evolution as a band, from pure Americana folk in their early albums, to experimental in Crack Up, to indie folk in Shore. This album is more accessible than previous albums, providing contemporary indie fans with sing-along ballads in Sunblind and Can I Believe You.

    The album shines brightest in the album's    An excellent product from Robin and company. This album continues Fleet Foxes' evolution as a band, from pure Americana folk in their early albums, to experimental in Crack Up, to indie folk in Shore. This album is more accessible than previous albums, providing contemporary indie fans with sing-along ballads in Sunblind and Can I Believe You.

    The album shines brightest in the album's more folk-oriented tracks. Featherweight is perhaps one of the most impressive folk harmonies of the 2000s, harkening back to the best of Simon & Garfunkel and Crosby, Still & Nash. The album also borrows from drum-heavy jazz ensembles, which bleed through in tracks like Quiet Air / Gioia, Cradling Mother, Cradling Woman, and Shore.

    The album also takes some of its biggest leaps forward in songs that feature outside vocals. Stellar performances from Uwade on Wading in Waist-High Water and Time Bernardes on Going-to-the-Sun Road.    … Expand
  4. bmorr7
    Sep 26, 2020
    10
    Wonderful album. Combination of the complexity of Crack Up with the accessibility of their debut. Highly recommended.
  5. AgelessDreams
    Sep 24, 2020
    10
    The album we’ve always known they were capable of. A modern classic, a reprieve in a time of chaos and strife that should only grow in relevance and fondness through the years.
  6. Yay111
    Sep 25, 2020
    9
    Exactly what I need at this point in the year, beautiful album with plenty of relistenable tracks (Can I believe you, Maestranza, Young Man's Game etc
  7. Pabloody
    Sep 24, 2020
    10
    Album of the year. Confirms Fleet Foxes as one of the greatest bands of the last decades. A celebration of life in the face of death.
  8. Gozii
    Sep 30, 2020
    10
    I won't say this lightly, but this is probably the best and the most accessible Fleet Foxes album yet. My one recommendation if you listen to this album is to not overthink it. Just listen and enjoy. Its not overly experimental, however there are some interesting chords harmonies and key changes in here. Its kinda nice not having to sit through any crazy experimental jazz solos orI won't say this lightly, but this is probably the best and the most accessible Fleet Foxes album yet. My one recommendation if you listen to this album is to not overthink it. Just listen and enjoy. Its not overly experimental, however there are some interesting chords harmonies and key changes in here. Its kinda nice not having to sit through any crazy experimental jazz solos or anything. The songs are effective in reaching for some really powerful emotions, and there is a distinct end of summer theme which is nice to hear as we go into the fall.

    I have listened to the album nearly 10 times now, and after the 10th listen, my eyes have been opened. These songs are so rich and well crafted. This is especially true near the end of the album, where you really get that end of summer feel. The final 4-5 songs won't catch your attention right away, but give them some time and they become incredibly beautiful and evocative.

    I can firmly say after 10 listens that I love each and every song. They all fit together perfectly, and the slower moments don't drag on. The song structures are also a lot more normal which is a nice change. It can be rough hanging in for an 8 minute song, which this band does often. 3-5 minutes is perfect in my opinion, and every song is about that length. They also compact a lot of stuff in each song.

    I am giving this a 10 because right now this is legitimately one of the best albums I think i've ever heard, and I've heard a lot. I will give it some time, but its incredible. My one and only gripe is that the lyrics aren't great on some songs. In general, the lyrics are just accessories to the lovely melodies and harmonies. Otherwise, this album has been a great little pick me up during an awful year. Its nice to hear some positive music that makes you feel good.    … Expand
  9. FrancisNefrt
    Sep 23, 2020
    9
    It's their most bold and exploratory record so far. Very refreshing and full of character, yet it is still undoubtedly 'their sound'. Gotta love all contributors' performances as they add colors (especially from the grizzly bear folks and the guest vocalists). The mood dynamics and relations between tracks make the album magical, and at times haunting.

    A great 50 minute musical    It's their most bold and exploratory record so far. Very refreshing and full of character, yet it is still undoubtedly 'their sound'. Gotta love all contributors' performances as they add colors (especially from the grizzly bear folks and the guest vocalists). The mood dynamics and relations between tracks make the album magical, and at times haunting.

    A great 50 minute musical experience all the way through.    … Expand
  10. atm_machine
    Sep 28, 2020
    9
    A beautiful and appropriate release for the season, but also one I'll have in rotation well after Autumn ends.

    More of a refinement of Crack-Up than an evolution for the group, but another timeless addition to the group's discography.
  11. Tony_AJ
    Sep 22, 2020
    10
    A great experience that I'll heard over and over again. Way ahead of its time!
  12. Mcfly24
    Sep 23, 2020
    10
    Stunning! This is an awesome album all the way through. I'm loved Robin Pecknold's incredible vocals and soaring melodies, they felt like a hug in these difficult times. I feel like it's a step up from crack up which I enjoyed but didn't love.
  13. mdbrown80
    Sep 22, 2020
    10
    Absolutely flawless. Rivals Helplessness Blues for the best Fleet Foxes album, and I can't think of any higher praise than that.
  14. rebel6794
    Sep 23, 2020
    7
    While still excellent, this album sounds more mechanical and digitized (Jara primarily) in presentation, an ever-drifting departure from the earthy rawness of the first two albums. Like when Robin said he wanted to record Helplessness Blues live and in one take to capture the perfect imperfections in each song—that’s missing here and I believe was missing in Crack-Up. Even Crack-Up hadWhile still excellent, this album sounds more mechanical and digitized (Jara primarily) in presentation, an ever-drifting departure from the earthy rawness of the first two albums. Like when Robin said he wanted to record Helplessness Blues live and in one take to capture the perfect imperfections in each song—that’s missing here and I believe was missing in Crack-Up. Even Crack-Up had instrumentally operatic moments while moving in this new direction, blending in Radiohead-like sounds and samples. Shore is more Fleet Foxes-EP circa 2006. Absent are the infectious hooks like Ragged Wood, lyricless escapes like The Cascades, instrumental surprises like Sim Sala Bim’s guitar ending, and the dramatic shifts within songs that Fleet Foxes has perfected like On Another Ocean, The Shrine/An Argument, Blue Ridge Mountains, Mykonos, etc. With every listen, it seems as though these songs were recorded instrument-by-instrument instead of a full band performance. I love the ideas throughout the album (brass instruments, female/child accompaniments for example), but they’re never fully fleshed out. Hopefully the next 9 songs recorded with the rest of the band bring back the Fleet Foxes’ DNA many love and cherish! I say all of this rather critically, but I love this band and will remain one of its biggest fans. It’s still some of the most transcendent stuff one will ever listen to.… Expand
  15. Lurchbox
    Sep 23, 2020
    9
    Listen with headphones & find yourself in the organic rich layers of beauty. Honestly, the best album of 2020 and I will leave out “so far”.

    Amazing work Robin
  16. PurelyAnecdotal
    Sep 24, 2020
    8
    I am heartened that Robin has decided to move away from all the perplexing heaviness and sometimes distressingly abstruse sound characterising songs in "Crack-up". This is a much more accessible, for the lack of a better word, record than the last one, easier in approach and more immediate, and hence, engaging in nature. Many tracks in this album lean towards a modern rock-pop sound, withI am heartened that Robin has decided to move away from all the perplexing heaviness and sometimes distressingly abstruse sound characterising songs in "Crack-up". This is a much more accessible, for the lack of a better word, record than the last one, easier in approach and more immediate, and hence, engaging in nature. Many tracks in this album lean towards a modern rock-pop sound, with a lot fewer folkish elements relative to their debut album, and some unexpected sprinklings of trumpet and synths here and there. Although the highlights from this album, such as the adventurous synth-preceded "Jara", "Can I Believe You" with its monumental choral bed sound and meaningful rumination on trust, and "Sunblind", a delightfully breezy and pastoral tribute lionizing Robin's influences, do not evoke the same creative rapture, magical landscapes and emotional highs as tracks like "White Winter Hymnal", "Ragged Wood", "Blue Ridge Mountains" and "Mykonos" of their debut 'Fleet Foxes', their best album in my books, this one is still very winsome. The outro portion of "Cradling Mother, Cradling Woman", with its relentless yet euphoric, trumpeting cascade caught my attention and rekindled my faith in the band's capacity for affecting inventiveness. I also found myself liking a few of Robin's more novel ideas, like the last quarter of "Going-to-the-Sun Road" where the synths and trumpets enter as a riveting backdrop to some tender Portuguese soliloquy delivered expectantly by, to my surprise, a male - not female - Brazilian singer by the name of Tim Bernardes. It would have been a stellar track through and through, in my humble opinion, if only the first half of the track didn't meander for a bit. More exactly, some songs fall flat in their execution with great ideas not being fleshed out fully.

    That said, there is not one track here that succeeds in completely transporting me to a different realm of imagination or offering an otherworldly, almost spiritual, listening experience like "White Winter Hymnal" does for me. I have been pining for years, in hopes that they would one day produce a track like that, i.e. "White Winter Hymnal", replete with some of the most amazing vocal build-ups, vocal harmonies, melodic identity and breadth of instrumental textures. That one song was put together so immaculately and sets the bar so high, I reckon it would be one that Robin finds hard-pressed to beat. Nevertheless, I am thankful for as long as he's still producing enjoyable music like this record, despite not necessarily being extraordinarily memorable like their debut, and that he is doing things that makes his career an enjoyable and sustainable one for him.

    It is rather amusing to note that there are others who feel the same way as me about the relative success of Robin's recent efforts. I can definitely see where they are coming from, as my thoughts do resonate with them as a long-time follower of the band. They have expressed their thoughts in a tactful manner, but all of them seemed to have been downvoted by arguably blind or very new followers to the band's discography. It is important to note that this album is invariably a delectable fruit of Robin's labor, notwithstanding the fact that there are areas deserving of criticism.

    Incidentally, if you enjoy "Sunblind", I will suggest you check out the band's cover of the Bee Gee's "In the Morning". The vibes given off by the latter track is not quite unlike the former, and there is an undeniably pastoral charm to both of them.    … Expand
  17. notor12
    Sep 22, 2020
    8
    A vast improvement over their last album (Crack-Up) but still not quite the needed return to the classic "Spiritual Forest Music" sound Fleet Foxes patented in Helplessness Blues and their debut album.

    I can understand why Fleet Foxes wants to try new things, but I have a hard time seeing their departures in the last two albums as improvements over the first two. I feel like the band    A vast improvement over their last album (Crack-Up) but still not quite the needed return to the classic "Spiritual Forest Music" sound Fleet Foxes patented in Helplessness Blues and their debut album.

    I can understand why Fleet Foxes wants to try new things, but I have a hard time seeing their departures in the last two albums as improvements over the first two. I feel like the band has lost what made them unique and refreshing and with it the vitality has gone out of their music. And, strangely for a band so committed to creativity, it seems like so many of its songs are repetitive and a chore to sit through. Particularly the slower-paced songs.

    This is certainly better than Crack-Up, though.    … Expand
  18. Rob1986
    Oct 22, 2020
    8
    It's true that this album is my least fav of the band's catalog, but it's still well worth your time, and still a showcase for their remarkable talents. There are some standout tracks like Quiet air that are at the same level as FF's all time greats, but a few that don't quite hit the heights the previous albums set as their standard.
  19. Ricko
    Dec 27, 2020
    8
    In the 12 years since the release of their debut album, Fleet Foxes and in particular main man Robin Pecknold have gone on quite the journey taking in early success, critical acclaim, a long term hiatus and a triumphant return. Stylistically the band sound reasonably close to how they always did without sounding like they are recycling anything. "Shore" has a warmth and brightness to itIn the 12 years since the release of their debut album, Fleet Foxes and in particular main man Robin Pecknold have gone on quite the journey taking in early success, critical acclaim, a long term hiatus and a triumphant return. Stylistically the band sound reasonably close to how they always did without sounding like they are recycling anything. "Shore" has a warmth and brightness to it but its a deceptively complex listen. Lyrically there is lots to pick apart but musically there is so much going on in the background that could easily get missed. While their debut was instantly gratifying and each subsequent release has demanded more listening time to appreciate, the band are becoming one of the more rewarding outfits to get into. I'm still getting into 2017's "Crack-Up" which only truly revealed itself to me when I saw it played live. It's unlikely I'll get the chance to see "Shore" in the same context anytime soon but in the mean time I look forward to discovering something new in it with each listen.… Expand
  20. All_ButTrU4
    Feb 12, 2022
    7
    After backlash that Crack Up was too dark and introspective, Fleet Foxes have brought us Shore - an album so mild and approachable that it's almost certainly destined for greatness among people who like crusts removed from their sandwiches. It's the kind of pretty and pleasant folksy Americana that just about any band could have produced if they could stomach how cloyingly basic most of itAfter backlash that Crack Up was too dark and introspective, Fleet Foxes have brought us Shore - an album so mild and approachable that it's almost certainly destined for greatness among people who like crusts removed from their sandwiches. It's the kind of pretty and pleasant folksy Americana that just about any band could have produced if they could stomach how cloyingly basic most of it sounds. Don't get me wrong - there are still those moments of splendor and elegance that you'd expect from the band, but even those are stifled by lethargic vocals and muted mixing… Expand
  21. Kimm1219
    Dec 28, 2020
    8
    Anyone who became a Fleet Foxes fan probably found them on there debut or EP album and have looked for anything to bring them back to that beautiful feel of melodies and feeling that those albums created. While this is not as fulfilling as the debut album it is surprisingly close to recreating the the original with its own (new) soothing feel and takes the positives from the lesser albumsAnyone who became a Fleet Foxes fan probably found them on there debut or EP album and have looked for anything to bring them back to that beautiful feel of melodies and feeling that those albums created. While this is not as fulfilling as the debut album it is surprisingly close to recreating the the original with its own (new) soothing feel and takes the positives from the lesser albums to make a new but beautifully balanced album all in itself.… Expand
  22. Jimpus_Relly
    Feb 5, 2021
    9
    Fleet Foxes have a way of evolving in exactly the right direction with every release, and Shore is no exception. Great hooks, instrumentals, and everything else, through and through. I don't think any other musical release felt as magical as Shore's did with the livestreaming of its accompanying video. Always a pleasure.
  23. hdcooper
    Apr 8, 2021
    8
    A soul-healing, whimsical journey that takes you down the path less-followed and sees you emerge a new man that has finally found peace within the struggle of human existence.

    8.6/10
  24. KJInox
    Aug 21, 2021
    10
    This is one of the best albums of 2020 in my opinion. Flawless songwriting and recording.
  25. M_Checkmate
    Mar 30, 2022
    10
    Life defining. Has changed me. Not perfect by any means but it speaks to my soul.

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Best Album of 2020
67
#67 Most Discussed Album of 2020

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
87

Universal acclaim - based on 19 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 19 out of 19
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 19
  3. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. Classic Rock Magazine
    Nov 18, 2020
    70
    It can, by nature, feel like drowning in melted marshmallow over 55 minutes, but great moments stick out like ice sculptures in a snowdrift. [Dec 2020, p.80]
  2. Mojo
    Oct 28, 2020
    100
    The vital spark that graced Fleet Foxes' debut is back. [Dec 2020, p.80]
  3. Uncut
    Oct 16, 2020
    90
    Robin Pecknold's ruminations on ageing and loss are a soothing balm in uncertain times. [Dec 2020, p.29]
See all critic reviews »