Helplessness Blues
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CRITIC REVIEWS
100
Wide-eyed self-searching is this record’s predominant mode, which Fleet Foxes do both lyrically and sonically, reveling in the process of discovery.
94
Fleet Foxes have become a band who will not stop pushing, who will challenge themselves to avoid stagnancy, who will work with both their instruments and their minds.
90
Helplnessness Blues is not a reinvention, but rather a refinement.
90
Helplessness Blues is a cosmic, bombastic record, undaunted and ready to expose itself on every corner with a whole lot of heart.
90
It’s an album that makes you sad that it’s not longer; sad that it can’t just go on forever.
90
On Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes improve just about everything that they were doing on their last album.
88
The record showcases the band's expanded range and successful risk-taking, while retaining what so many people fell in love with about the group in the first place.
80
It’s a richer, more diverse sound than their self-titled LP or the Sun Giant EP.
80
It's the music that stands out, and the band's acoustic folk/chamber pop combo makes every song sound like a grand tribute to back-to-the-land living.
80
This is a dynamic record that improves on the band’s already impressive accomplishments in every way.
80
Far from that folksy, laid-back image, Helplessness Blues confirms Fleet Foxes' place as one of the most exacting, creative, and straight-up best bands making music in 2011.
70
This is more than just a supremely strong follow-up.
40
Fleet Foxes suck. They’re the soy-latte house band of Starbucks.
I guess I've never seemed like the biggest fan of folk music. Like, wow cool, a bunch of guys play guitars while a squeaky guy gets existential. But the first time I heard this jesus christ I was converted this shit is brilliant.
HOLY CRAP. Helplessness Blues has to be the best folk album I've ever heard. It isn't much different to a lot of folk music I've heard but the spirit of the album, the lyrics, the sound, the melodies, the vocals, they're also just so brilliant and beautiful. The ... read more
HOLY CRAP. Helplessness Blues has to be the best folk album I've ever heard. It isn't much different to a lot of folk music I've heard but the spirit of the album, the lyrics, the sound, the melodies, the vocals, they're also just so brilliant and beautiful. The ... read more
Amazing
This is Simon and Garfunkel on STEROIDS: a much more grand and full production and instrumentation style, three part harmonized vocals, and a better overall tone for an album. It's a satisfying listen through and through, and it has a homey and nostalgic feel to it, almost as if you're travelling somewhere that you haven't been to but it feels familiar. I believe that this might be the overall theme of the album as well. So sosososo great.
Color: Yellow
FAV TRACKS: Helplessness Blues, ... read more
This is Simon and Garfunkel on STEROIDS: a much more grand and full production and instrumentation style, three part harmonized vocals, and a better overall tone for an album. It's a satisfying listen through and through, and it has a homey and nostalgic feel to it, almost as if you're travelling somewhere that you haven't been to but it feels familiar. I believe that this might be the overall theme of the album as well. So sosososo great.
Color: Yellow
FAV TRACKS: Helplessness Blues, ... read more
As a big fan of Fleet Foxes debut record, the follow up was always sure to please me. After a few relistens over a couple months, it's hard to deny just how magnificently pristine this record is.
There are two distinct things that stand out as high marks for Helplessness Blues; the vocal performance, both in the vocal harmonies that are littered across the groups music as well as the focus on Robin Pecknold, along with the instrumentation that switches from grandiose to simplistic.
Pecknold ... read more
There are two distinct things that stand out as high marks for Helplessness Blues; the vocal performance, both in the vocal harmonies that are littered across the groups music as well as the focus on Robin Pecknold, along with the instrumentation that switches from grandiose to simplistic.
Pecknold ... read more
Fleet Foxes is one of the bands that defines my taste for indie music, specially indie folk. I relisten (again !) the entire discography but I really want to talk about HB.
HB is one of the few albums that are impossible to replicate in live version. Go check the lives, some get close to the original material but it's not at the same levels anytime. One of the main reason is that there are SO much micro-arrangements and instrumentations. The perfectionism behaviour of the leader even leaded to ... read more
HB is one of the few albums that are impossible to replicate in live version. Go check the lives, some get close to the original material but it's not at the same levels anytime. One of the main reason is that there are SO much micro-arrangements and instrumentations. The perfectionism behaviour of the leader even leaded to ... read more
I have a list of about a dozen acclaimed albums (that should be in my wheelhouse) from this past decade that I have avoided scoring to this point, so I'm using the early part of this new decade to give them all additional listens and finally place some scores.
Fleet Foxes... you can obviously hear the Simon & Garfunkel and Beach Boys influence on here. The problem for me is that none of these songs particularly do anything for me. They are obviously talented musicians in this band, and ... read more
Fleet Foxes... you can obviously hear the Simon & Garfunkel and Beach Boys influence on here. The problem for me is that none of these songs particularly do anything for me. They are obviously talented musicians in this band, and ... read more
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Year End Lists
| #1 | / | PopMatters |
| #1 | / | The Needle Drop |
| #2 | / | Paste |
| #3 | / | FILTER |
| #3 | / | MOJO |
| #3 | / | One Thirty BPM |
| #3 | / | Pretty Much Amazing |
| #4 | / | No Ripcord |
| #4 | / | Rolling Stone |
| #4 | / | Under the Radar |
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| #8 | / | The Needle Drop (2010s) |
| #25 | / | Gaffa (Sweden) [2010s] |
| #39 | / | Paste (2010s) |
| #62 | / | UPROXX (2010s) |
| #121 | / | BrooklynVegan (2010s) |
| #135 | / | Pitchfork (2010s) |
MISC LISTS
| #2 | / | NPR Listeners |
| #2 | / | Pitchfork Readers |
| #4 | / | Spinner (First Half) |
| #19 | / | Stereogum (First Half) |
| #33 | / | Paste (Indie Folk) |
More Lists
Track List
- Montezuma
- Bedouin Dress
- Sim Sala Bim
- Battery Kinzie
- The Plains/Bitter Dancer
- Helplessness Blues
- The Cascades
- Lorelai
- Someone You'd Admire
- The Shrine/An Argument
- Blue Spotted Tail
- Grown Ocean
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10mo
This is something I'd expect myself to be bored of... but I absolutely love the first track so who knows
