Morgan Henderson, second from left, has joined the Fleet Foxes
An official copy of the Fleet Foxes sophomore album Helplessness Blues found its way into my mailbox a few days ago and I noticed something interesting while looking at the back of the album’s cover.
The back cover is a collage of black and white photos of each member of the Foxes and in the top left there’s an image of a familiar face, or at least familiar to me, that stands out from the rest of the group. The face not only stood out because it’s the sixth, and newest member of Fleet Foxes, it also stood out because it’s none other than Morgan Henderson.
If that name sounds familiar it is because he was a member of eastside hardcore screamers the Blood Brothers which is a band that’s 180-degrees the opposite of Fleet Foxes. As a fan of the Blood Brothers catalog I’m very excited about this new addition to the Fleet Foxes and am very curious to see where it leads the band’s direction down the road. After giving Helplessness Blues one quick spin I can already tell you that Henderson adds quite a bit to the Fleet Foxes sound by playing clarinet, saxophone, upright bass and various other instruments that add depth to the band’s folksy, harmonies-driven music. Hopefully that’s a sign of things to come for Robin Pecknold and Co.
