Fleet Foxes, Helplessness Blues (Sub Pop, 2011)

When their self-titled debut CD came out in 2008, Fleet Foxes immediately became a sensation among critics and fans of indie music. Despite a heavy sixties influence, their rustic, heavily reverbed sound had a pleasantly unique element to it, and came across as a breath of fresh air. Of course, plenty of performers and bands have made a big splash initially, only to disappear with subsequent efforts. It took a couple of years and a few false starts, but the band's sophomore effort Helplessness Blues came out in May 2011. Happily, the new album takes what what was good about its predecessor and improves on it.

As before, Fleet Foxes revolve around the singing and songwriting of Robin Pecknold. Pecknold's lyrics remain alluringly cryptic, drawing the listeners in to the scenes he creates; he doesn't always provide an unambiguous meaning, but what he lacks in explicitness he makes up for with poetry. His most direct song on this album is the title song, in which he resolves to find a purpose to his life and not just accept things as they are. Pecknold also contributes on guitar, along with Skyler Skjelset. The two blend together very nicely with an approach that is understated but very effective, particularly on the songs "Sim Sala Bim" and "The Cascades." The biggest difference in the overall sound on Helplessness Blues is the increased emphasis on vocal harmonies, on which Pecknold is assisted by keyboardist Casey Wescott and new bassist Christian Wargo. The harmonies definitely owe something to Crosby, Stills & Nash, but the old-school approach to group vocals worked then and still sounds fresh now. A number of the songs are broken into several parts, giving the new album a bit more of a prog feel than the first album had. This generally works well, but the "argument" part of "The Shrine/An Argument" has a painfully dissonant sax part that is totally out of place on this record.

Still, that's the one real blemish on an otherwise excellent album. Robin Pecknold is one of the best of the current generation of singer-songwriters, and the rest of Fleet Foxes provide solid vocal and instrumental support. Helplessness Blues is a definite best-of-year candidate, and I'm really looking forward to this band's continued development.

Overall grade: A

reviewed by Scott

"Grown Ocean"

Top 10 CD's of 2008

Another year has come and gone, so once again it's time to go over my favorite CD's of the past year.

10. Danelia Cotton, Rare Child: A little funk, a little rock, and a powerful voice make for a winning formula.







9. Mudcrutch: Tom Petty breaks a bit from his usual formula, and the result is one of his strongest albums in quite some time.







8. La Rocca, OK Okay: These three Irishmen and one Englishman are superior pop craftsman that I expect to be hearing a lot from in the future.






7. Dion, Heroes: Legends of Early Guitar Rock: This is an absolute delight for people with even a moderate interest in 50's music.






6. Fleet Foxes: This highly touted debut justifies the hype.









5. Týr, Ragnarok: By combining heavy metal with folk music and a great concept, Týr have put the Faroe Islands on the musical map.






4. Anna Ternheim: Yes, the EP was better than the full-length album that followed. Ternheim just released an album of all-new material in Sweden in November, so look for it to reach these shores soon.




3. The Ditty Bops, Summer Rains: It may not be the list-topper that Moon Over the Freeway was two years ago, but it's still another solid effort from the charmingly subversive duo.





2. Sam Phillips, Don't Do Anything: Phillips has always been at her best when she's been at her most cathartic, and there's plenty of catharsis to go around on this record.





1. The Born Again Floozies, Street Music: Stubborn defiance meets great songwriting. Fly your freak flag high!







reviewed by Scott

Fleet Foxes (Sup Pop Records, 2008)

I always like to be pleasantly surprised by new music. One of the nicest surprises I've had recently came as a birthday gift, in the form of the self-titled debut CD from the band Fleet Foxes. Led by Robin Pecknold, this Seattle band manages to sound both retro and fresh at the same time. Their ragged, unkempt appearance belies their strong sense of musicality.

The aspect of Fleet Foxes' sound that sticks out the most is their persistent use of reverb on the vocals and instruments. The echoes give the whole album a distinctive ambience. Fleet Foxes also has a full share of solid group harmonies; their approach to the vocals evokes the bands of the sixties, yet it comes off as something new and exotic in the current musical landscape. Pecknold's lyrics might be a bit cryptic and mysterious, but his words mesh very well with the mood the band creates with their music. This is best exemplified by a haunting, unnerving song called "Your Protector" -- "As you lay to die beside me baby on the morning that you came, would you wait for me? The other one would wait for me."

Fleet Foxes pull off the increasingly difficult feat of creating their own sound and style with standard rock instrumentation and no real frills outside of some echo. While "Your Protector" stands out for me, the album doesn't waste a track, and just has this really cool feel to it. I'm really looking forward to hearing more from these guys.

Overall grade: A-

reviewed by Scott

"He Doesn't Know Why"