I'll just be upfront about this, the style of music Fleet Foxes play (acoustic baroque folk rock) is just not the type of music that can sustain my interest for more than a couple songs at a time. They're very good at what they do (and the general reviews for this album are absolutely fantastic) but what they do just isn't my thing. On the other hand, I'm a big fan of Beach Boys style harmonies and there are few artists who can pull those off better than this band. Helplessness Blues is pretty similar to the bands debut album but expands the number of random instruments used significantly. What hasn't changed is those harmonies, they're still the highlight of the band and the greatest reason to check out Fleet Foxes in general. Helplessness Blues is a further expansion of Fleet Foxes' sound. It maintains the bands strengths and throws some new wrinkles in as well. Even if they're not a band who's music I will personally ever love, I can completely understand why a lot of people do.
Rating: 3.5
Track Listing:
1. "Montezuma" (3:37)
2. "Bedouin Dress" (4:30)
3. "Sim Sala Bim" (3:14)
4. "Battery Kinzie" (2:49)
5. "The Plains/Bitter Dancer" (5:54)
6. "Helplessness Blues" (5:03)
7. "The Cascades" 2:08)
8. "Lorelai" (4:25)
9. "Someone You'd Admire" (2:29)
10. "The Shrine/An Argument" (8:07)
11. "Blue Spotted Tail" (3:05)
12. "Grown Ocean" (4:36)
Fleet Foxes are not the type of band that will initially blow you away. Rather, their music has to be chipped away layer by layer before you feel like you have a grasp on it, which is a great thing for an album's longevity. From that standpoint, their music takes effort to enjoy. It has depth and cannot be taken at face value. While "Helplessness Blues" doesn't initially stand out as a classic album I think it has the potential to grow into an album that will stand the test of time and ultimately end up on a lot of "Best of 2011" lists.
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