Album Haiku: Helplessness Blues by Fleet Foxes
One of Northwest’s Best
Make their Second Masterpiece
Truly Beautiful.
5 out of 5
Songs we can’t take off repeat: “Helplessness Blues,” “Montezuma,” “Bedouin Dress,” and “Lorelai.”
“Montezuma” grabs the horse by the reins and starts the second masterpiece released by Seattle’s Fleet Foxes. A playful guitar soon to be swept away by harmonies. “Helplessness Blues” soothes your soul with rich music and thoughtful dark songwriting. They still have harmonies that would make The Beach Boys and Crosby Stills Nash and Young drop their jaws. Robin Pecknold’s vocals are eerily beautiful and very angelic; alone or with harmonies they are pristine. To compliment the vocals on an even level of perfection are the vast amounts of instruments. The album features acoustic & electric guitar, piano, fiddle, mandolin, harmonium, water harp, lever harp, pump organ, music box, drums, upright bass, woodwinds, violin, pedal and lap steel, hammer dulcimer, and more. Even with all of these instruments the sound is crystal clear and sharp. The violin on “Bedouin Dress” lightheartedly hooks you in, the opening drums on “Battery Kinzie” makes me want to prance around the living room, and the folk waltz of “Lorelai” is lovely. The album front to back is perfect; we were both just blown away. Helplessness Blues takes Fleet Foxes up another notch and has me hoping and wishing for a third release in the next two years. Their music is… truly beautiful.
Matt & Andrea