The world changes. Fleet Foxes doesn’t. Which isn’t such a bad thing, seeing as Robin Pecknold and his hairy band members have mastered their craft. With this fourth album, coming fifteen years into their career, the sound is still the same for the Seattle-based harmonies-obsessed neo-folk group. Pecknold carries on the legacy of Crosby Stills Nash & Young, the Byrds and the Beach Boys on this album. More than he ever has before. But his distinguishable voice - and the almost spiritual reverb that surrounds it - is now a recognized and rather unique hallmark of his era. To prove he’s not a dictator, he hands the mic over to the young and little-known 21-year-old Uwade Akhere on the opening track Wading In Waist-High Water for a delicate and delicious antipasti. Though what follows, for the next hour, is pure Robin Pecknold. It’s a symphony that combines a solid Brian Wilson production with subtle songs with David Crosby-esque harmonic overtones (from the If I Could Only Remember My Name era, his crazy solo album). Shore doesn't change a thing. It simply comforts Fleet Foxes’ fans... and their foes at that. © Marc Zisman/Qobuz