On the record: Fleet foxes and Kelly Lee Owens

Fleet Foxes – Shore (Bella Union)

With the Autumn equinox comes the fourth Fleet Foxes album. While the cast list changes every album, the band remains unchangeably impressive.

Josh Tillman (Father John Misty) once played the drums for the band, but neither Tillman nor Foxes have suffered since he put down the sticks and started his sarcastic, sardonic solo career. Pecknold himself has worked with other impressive artists, Hamilton Leithauser, Daniel Rossen and Ed Droeste (both of Grizzly bear), as well as taking time away from music to study at Columbia University. Now 34, his fourth album presents a man wise beyond his years, prepared to fully open up to complex feelings.

The album is introspective, but without being too soft. “My clothes are torn, but it’s right on me”, Pecknold sings on Cradling Mother, Cradling Woman. Pecknold is unafraid of exploring more negative thoughts, but there are also moments of unbridled joy on the album. Sunrise, the album’s second track features Pecknold praising his heroes like Richard Swift and Bill Withers.

The third track on Shore, Can I Believe You is one of the best songs of the year. Dramatic without being heavy, the piece features some of the finest vocals that Pecknold has ever delivered. While restrained, his repeated questions of his partner and his anxiety about a new relationship echo the early day worries of a new relationship. Remarkably the track features several hundred fans who sent in vocals to feature on the album.

Fans of the Beach Boys may appreciate the Phil Spector wall-of-sound styles on the record. Aptly, Brian Wilson appears, via sample, on the album. Pecknold uses Wilson’s count in from one of his favourite recordings of Don’t Talk (Put Your Head On My Shoulder) on the penultimate track of the album.

Pecknold has referred to this as the “friendly brother” of Fleet Foxes 2017 album, Crack Up. That album had its bleaker, moodier moments. This album, lighter, far easier a listen is an instant classic and is endlessly listenable.

Kelly Lee Owens – Melt (Smalltown Supersound)

It is hard to make electronic music warm. It is, by its nature, clear and sharp, and because of the way it is produced filled with hard edges and precise sounds.

Kelly Lee Owens’ songwriting and repetitive lyrics mean provide a rare and warm emotional undertone in an icy genre. Her second album, even better than her well-regarded debut, offers a journey across several different electronic music sub-genres.

Re-Wild, the fourth track on the album is the absolute highlight. It features a heavy baseline and a hypnotically swirling chorus.

At times the album glides along. Then, almost jarringly, the record moves to a club setting. It is in these moments where Owens’ music stands out. At times it sounds suited to a rave in the Fortress of Solitude.