Music In Their Own Words: Fleet Foxes

The indie folk-rock band Fleet Foxes released their first EP in 2008, and since then have evolved from a fixture of the Pacific Northwest music scene into an internationally-acclaimed ensemble known for their richly-layered sounds and resonant, timeless lyrics. Their latest album, Shore (2020), was nominated for a Grammy.

Lead vocalist and principal songwriter Robin Pecknold recently released the book, "Wading in Waist-High Water: The Lyrics of Fleet Foxes." It collects his entire catalogue of lyrics, with notes on his creative inspirations and approaches. He joined The Takeaway to give a window into his songwriting process.

"Compiling and notating the lyrics here was maybe the first time I'd read them together. And one thing I kept noticing was the preponderance of question marks," Pecknold writes. 

"To me, a song is good if it is asking interesting questions. And a song is done when those questions are no longer confusing the song's maker." 

The indie folk-rock band Fleet Foxes released their first EP in 2008, and since then have evolved from a fixture of the Pacific Northwest music scene into an internationally-acclaimed ensemble known for their richly-layered sounds and resonant, timeless lyrics. Their latest album, Shore (2020), was nominated for a Grammy.

Lead vocalist and principal songwriter Robin Pecknold recently released the book, "Wading in Waist-High Water: The Lyrics of Fleet Foxes." It collects his entire catalogue of lyrics, with notes on his creative inspirations and approaches. He joined The Takeaway to give a window into his songwriting process.

"Compiling and notating the lyrics here was maybe the first time I'd read them together. And one thing I kept noticing was the preponderance of question marks," Pecknold writes. 

"To me, a song is good if it is asking interesting questions. And a song is done when those questions are no longer confusing the song's maker."