Fleet FoxesHelplessness Blues
Sub Pop Records [2011]
Fire Note Says: Fleet Foxes create a brilliant sophomore outing that showcases their growth lyrically and musically!
Album Review:
Right out of the gate, Seattle's Fleet Foxes brought expressive lyrics, sprawling harmonies and a friendly hello to all that embraced their self-titled debut record. Helplessness Blues is the bands highly anticipated sophomore follow up and it not only brings the same high quality that made them so infectious before but also shows a mature growth both musically and lyrically. Songs on Helplessness Blues reac
h deeper into your psyche, as lead singer/songwriter Robin Pecknold is much more front and center, while the band backs off a bit from adding harmonies to every corner but now skillfully places them for greater impact. Fleet Foxes also now offer a much more complexity to their song structures that finds several tracks crossing the five minute mark and the stunning "The Shrine/An Argument" passes eight, while the album itself runs about ten minutes longer then their debut. This slight style shift benefits the band because Helplessness Blues is all about letting things develop. The band can now let a song simmer before shifting its tone and creating more diverse textures that didn't always exist on their debut. This approach not only benefits the longer tracks but on shorter songs like "Sim Sala Bim", a hush vocal can turn into a quick strumming festival in mere seconds, only to close oh so quietly. Helplessness Blues challenges the Fleet Foxes debut as being their best but there is no dispute that both represent superior quality. This album successful builds on the layered sounds the Fleet Foxes already had down to a science and not only sets the band up nicely to explore new complex terrain but firmly places them into a league of their own!
Key Tracks: "Helplessness Blues", "The Shrine/An Argument", "Sim Sala Bim"
Bands With Similar Fire:
Horse Feathers
Fairport Convention
The Moondoggies
Fleet Foxes: Mykonos 7" [Fire Note Review 5/8/09]
Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes [Fire Note Review 7/9/08]
Fleet Foxes Website
Fleet Foxes MySpace
Fleet Foxes Facebook
Sub Pop Records
-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony
Album Review:
Right out of the gate, Seattle's Fleet Foxes brought expressive lyrics, sprawling harmonies and a friendly hello to all that embraced their self-titled debut record. Helplessness Blues is the bands highly anticipated sophomore follow up and it not only brings the same high quality that made them so infectious before but also shows a mature growth both musically and lyrically. Songs on Helplessness Blues reac
h deeper into your psyche, as lead singer/songwriter Robin Pecknold is much more front and center, while the band backs off a bit from adding harmonies to every corner but now skillfully places them for greater impact. Fleet Foxes also now offer a much more complexity to their song structures that finds several tracks crossing the five minute mark and the stunning "The Shrine/An Argument" passes eight, while the album itself runs about ten minutes longer then their debut. This slight style shift benefits the band because Helplessness Blues is all about letting things develop. The band can now let a song simmer before shifting its tone and creating more diverse textures that didn't always exist on their debut. This approach not only benefits the longer tracks but on shorter songs like "Sim Sala Bim", a hush vocal can turn into a quick strumming festival in mere seconds, only to close oh so quietly. Helplessness Blues challenges the Fleet Foxes debut as being their best but there is no dispute that both represent superior quality. This album successful builds on the layered sounds the Fleet Foxes already had down to a science and not only sets the band up nicely to explore new complex terrain but firmly places them into a league of their own!Key Tracks: "Helplessness Blues", "The Shrine/An Argument", "Sim Sala Bim"
Bands With Similar Fire:
Horse Feathers
Fairport Convention
The Moondoggies
Fleet Foxes: Mykonos 7" [Fire Note Review 5/8/09]
Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes [Fire Note Review 7/9/08]
Fleet Foxes Website
Fleet Foxes MySpace
Fleet Foxes Facebook
Sub Pop Records
-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony
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