First off, I'd like to thank everyone for all the nice things I've heard about the blog. This iteration seems to be going much better than the previous one and I've been very happy to read and hear everyone's comments. Thanks and keep readin'!
Above you can see the album cover for Fleet Foxes' new record, Helplessness Blues, to be released everywhere on May 3. No, it doesn't make sense to me either, but that's pretty much par for the course for this Seattle band. The group burst onto the indie scene in 2008 with their eponymous debut album and catchy but lyrically ambiguous single "White Winter Hymnal." The album was met with considerable acclaim (though I struggled to understand the extent of the praise), and the music world has waited with bated breath for the folk group to release a follow-up. Three years later, it finally happened, and I am pleased to say that it is a considerable triumph.
Frontman Robin Pecknold stated that after the arduous process of striving for perfect recordings on the first album, he wanted to attempt the opposite; doing most of the recordings only once and accepting small errors in the performances. Interestingly enough, there is almost no trace of errors in the final product, just a beautiful, carefree record that effortlessly showcases Pecknold's incredible songwriting. The band plays off each other beautifully, particularly on standouts "Bedouin Dress" and "The Plains/Bitter Dancer." The trademark vocal harmonies are again excellent, as Pecknold and the rest of his band (most of them contribute backup vocals) manage to improve their austere, old-timey vocal sound to make it fit even better with the music. While I found a few of the songs on the first record pretty boring, nearly every song on Helplessness Blues draws the listener in.
Really the only misstep here is an ill-fated attempt to add an avant-garde jazz section into the two part track "The Shrine/An Argument," a move that just comes off as ugly and a little pretentious. Otherwise, this is a beautiful indie folk record and one that everyone should have in their collection. 4.7/5.
Other excellent tracks:
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