Fleet Foxes and Natalie Prass at Observatory North Park

There are albums that perfectly align with your life. When you hear them you are transported back to another time, a different version of yourself, a distinct season of your life. Fleet Foxes self-titled album takes me back to perhaps the loneliest time in my life: I had just moved 3000 miles from everything I knew. The loneliness of it had finally hit and I was wondering if I’d made the right choice. With the power to mirror melancholy then easily switch to harmonizing with your happiness, their music transcends moods blending into any situation. This was apparent as they performed on stage at the North Park Observatory, with the background imagery changing from lush, emerald forests to fluidly, shifting watercolors and fleeting celestial landscapes.

The visuals blew me away however, I wished that the stage was better illuminated not only to see the exquisite features of Robin Pecknold’s face but also to see the extraordinary instrumentation happening on stage. The band played a nearly flawless set as they harmonized in silky, sweet tones and transitioned smoothly between instruments during songs. The smoothest operator of all was Morgan Henderson, whose three instrument switch in one song left me in awe. Surrounding him on stage was a cavalcade of music: a guitar, an upright bass, maracas, a tambourine, a tenor sax, what I believe to be a euphonium, and a violin. I’m always astounded by multi-instrumentalists, they’re real life superheroes!

There were some stand out songs performed from the new album Crack-Up. “I am all that I need/Arroyo Seco/Thumbprint Scar” takes you on a whirlwind journey through dynamic soundscapes. Whispers and gentle guitar strumming making way for sweeping harmonies with gorgeously layered strings and deep drumming intensifying your heartbeat. This is bound to be one of my new road trip standards, grandiosely guiding my adventures for years to come. “On Another Ocean (January/June)” speaks to the loneliness we all have felt:

Dealing with our emotions, trying to find a place to fit in. No matter how lonely you are, there’s always music. Listen and the words of the prophets will heal your heart.