Fleet Foxes
A Very Lonely Solstice (YOUTUBE/STREAMING SERVICES)
“I’m not the season I’m in” sings Robin Pecknold towards the end of this solo acoustic set, recorded in December 2020 in a Brooklyn church and livestreamed to those stuck at home. While Pecknold excels at such archaic, elemental wisdom, the seasons seem, conversely, critical to his deeply grounded folk aesthetic. The same month this set was recorded, Fleet Foxes released a career-high LP, Shore, exactly on the autumnal equinox. For karmic balance, then, film of this show and its accompanying soundtrack manifest digitally on the winter solstice; the day of the longest shadows making a perfect backdrop to Pecknold’s shy virtuosity.
Anyone who saw Robin roar into the rafters during his off-mike, solo acoustic spots at early Fleet Foxes shows, will remember how well Tiger Mountain Peasant Song, from their 2008 debut, works in this setting. More school assembly than churchy, it still sounds utterly beguiling. His cover of Barry Gibb’s In The Morning is super-Dylan in its phrasing and intonation; while Blue Spotted Tail, the gorgeous, arpeggiated lullaby from 2011’s Helplessness Blues, is another spot-lit moment. Don’t wait until the longest day to watch or listen to it.