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When their self-titled debut popped out in 2008, Fleet Foxes appeared destined for the combination of critical acclaim with intimate venues and lowly if not totally non-existent chart placings that are a bona fide cult concerns lot.
But something in the Seattle six-piece’s hushed, harmony-soaked folk-rock resonated with a bigger audience than most musicians flying the time-faded flag of an organic artisan spirit that belongs to a long-gone era when acoustic guitar-clutching, bleary-eyed sensitive souls, much more concerned with ragged soulfulness than technical excellence, cut future classics in buildings more naturally suited for storing bales of hay dare to dream of. Perhaps the whiff of escapism in the band’s songs –essentially odes to a simpler life at some imaginary past of unspecified vintage - appealed to time-starved modern listeners. Or maybe the groundwork done by countless other lesser-known bands blending folk traditions into psychedelically hued head-rock paved way for Fleet Foxes; whatever the reason, the band and the album became a considerable international hit.
Judging by the contents of this follow-up, success hasn’t brought much inner peace to chief songwriter Robin Pecknold and co; the hint’s in the inclusion of the word ‘blues’ in the album’s title. ‘Helplessness Blues’ avoids anything as obvious as autobiographical confessionals, opting instead to skip unpredictably between the mythical past and the ever-troubled present. But certain overriding themes of questioning and self-criticism suggest a strong dose of first-hand experience that seemed absent amidst the debut’s sense of wide-eyed wonder and relatively worry-free hikes through enchanted forests.
Although it omits some of the sunnier aspects of its predecessor, ‘Helplessness Blues’ is far from a perpetually glum, frown-favouring downer. Even as the lyrics drag their heels, deep in blue-tinged contemplation, the melodies, and especially the never less than stunning, sumptuous harmonies (check out the otherworldly cooing of the wordless masses of vocals that propel the impressive suite ‘The Plains/Bitter Dancer’ to atmospheric heights), reach ever upwards, as if on a mission to distract the singers themselves from the heavy stuff on the lyric sheets they’re reciting from.
Pre-release publicity has made much of Pecknold’s near-obsessive tinkering in the studio. However, the richly detailed arrangements aren’t a smokescreen to distract attention from weaknesses in the material. Drawing inspiration again from acoustically orientated inspirations well-known (Paul Simon, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young) and obscure (Roy Harper), the album suffers from no shortage of achingly beautiful melodies. The title track deserves a special mention: starting off as a jaunty stomp (in stark contrast with the lyric’s all-pervasive unease), the track eventually slows into a languid yet supercharged psych-folk jam. The album’s sound deserves a special mention. Recorded live, with minimal overdubs, ‘Helplessness Blues’ has a warm, shimmering tone that keeps the listener’s attention even during the occasional lulls in the proceedings.
Close harmonies; predominantly acoustic instrumentation characterised by plentiful sampling of such exotic specimens as marxophone and tremeloer alongside commoner picked and plucked things; intricate, multi-faceted tunes that reveal their full charms only with time and patience; themes of self-doubt, longing, regret and humble questioning that couldn’t be further removed from the blustery self-confidence associated with most modern-day hit machines. Judging by most barometers of the music-buying public’s taste, the slow-burning, unhurriedly paced ‘Helplessness Blues’ shouldn’t really rank amongst the most keenly anticipated releases of 2011. Yet that’s exactly the kind of headline-grabbing status its authors can now boast of. If bragging didn’t go against their soft-spoken nature, that is. By satisfactorily maintaining many of the band’s old tricks whilst bringing in a newfound depth and complexity, ‘Helplessness Blues’ deserves to maintain this state of affairs.
