Fleet Foxes :: Helplessness Blues

Seattle based band Fleet Foxes continue their tradition of great sounding folk-rock in sophomore album Helplessness Blues. Beautiful harmonies and acoustic folk melodies continue to back lead singer Robin Pecknold’s outstanding voice in a way that will soothe your soul. Rock truly meets poetry here, with possibly the best lyrics for life reflection I have ever heard.

The music is complex, yet effortless. Acoustic melodies burst with a string plucking frenzy that isn’t pretentious and flows well together without being in your face. They incorporate classical folk melodies that manages to be contemporary at the same time. Its simply fantastic. They put a record together that is emotional and has meaning at the same time. Another amazing thing is how wide of an audience Fleet Foxes appeal to, from tweens to stoner college students, from 30 year old businessmen to 90 year olds in a nursing home; every age, race, and sex can enjoy their acoustic harmonies and beauty. Even my dog perks his ears up when Fleet Foxes come on.

An example of the poetry in first track, “Montezuma”:

So now I am older than my mother and father
when they had their daughter
now what does that say about me

Oh how could I dream of such a selfless and true love
could I wash my hands of
just looking out for me?

Oh man what I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me
Oh man what I used to be
Oh man oh my oh me

If you are out for a drive this week, pick up this album before you go; it will take you on a journey. If Xzhibit were to comment on this album he might say, “Yo dawg, we heard you like going for journeys, so we put Fleet Foxes in your car; so you can go for a journey while you are going for a journey.”

Fleet Foxes have proved to the world that they are not just a one time novelty, but a truly great band that has the longevity to last…errr…at least they passed the sophomore slump test. Helplessness Blues will, with out a doubt, end up on my top albums of 2011 list.

Grab the album from our record store HERE.

From the title track “Helplessness Blues”:
I was raised up believing I was somehow unique
Like a snowflake distinct among snowflakes, unique in each way you can see
And now after some thinking, I’d say I’d rather be
A functioning cog in some great machinery serving something beyond me

But I don’t, I don’t know what that will be
I’ll get back to you someday soon you will see

What’s my name, what’s my station, oh, just tell me what I should do
I don’t need to be kind to the armies of night that would do such injustice to you
Or bow down and be grateful and say “sure, take all that you see”
To the men who move only in dimly-lit halls and determine my future for me

Check out other great things from ETS:
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