FLEET FOXES || Helplessness Blues

Fleet Foxes
Helplessness Blues
Label: Sub Pop/Bella Union
Released on: May 3rd, 2011
Grade: 4 out of 5 meatballs
Reviewed by: Zach Partin

With the winter months clashing into our idea of summer in Chicago, it’s hard to describe Fleet Foxes' newest release, Helplessness Blues, as a summertime record. While bringing forward images of a summer in the Northwest, looking out of our windows in Chicago in the middle of May, we can’t help but think the winter will never end. And as much as Fleet Foxes play into the sound of dreary months, this is a welcoming record full of hope and life, rich with sunshine and optimism.

Helplessness Blues is Fleet Foxes’ second full length on Sub Pop. It’s been almost three years since we got a full release from the Portland sextet. The album is rich with vocal harmonies and sees each member of the band really finding their voice. At the forefront is head honcho Robin Pecknold, who constantly labored over the album. His original goal was to release it in 2009, but the band's touring schedule did not permit it.

So was it worth the wait? You’re asking the wrong guy. I missed the boat on their first album. But this album, as it stands, is an excellent release. I can’t imagine anyone being disappointed. From the opener “Montezuma” to “Bedouin Dress” to the title track to the closer “Grown Ocean,” this is a fantastic album for any acoustic folk-loving fans. Fleet Foxes have grown over the years since their last release, and this album showcases their ability to expand further upon a sound that so many have tried to replicate, yet few have been able to make it their own.