User Score
Universal acclaim- based on 245 Ratings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 227 out of 245
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Mixed: 11 out of 245
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Negative: 7 out of 245
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May 5, 2011
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Jul 19, 2011I can't help but feel that this bands sentiments are all a little hollow. It's really pretty, catchy music but it has to lose some artistic merit points on some of the gag worthy lyrics. I'll take the new Bon Iver or Antlers over this one.
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May 24, 2011Fleet Foxes are, and have always been amazing, this album is no exception. Understated, super honest, gorgeous woodsy folk from the heart. This album is a bit more subdued and humble than the previous, but no less outstanding for it.
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Dec 30, 2011Fleet Foxes' harmonious music is a work of true craftsmanship. Helplessness Blues, like it's predecessor is an elegant and entrancing experience. It will leave you stunned and ultimately moved.
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May 4, 2011
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May 5, 2011An absolutely beautiful piece of work. The only reviewers who give this album a lower rating are the mainstream magazines who are more than likely driven with the interest of profit rather than creativity. If you enjoy music that is created and spoken from the heart, then purchase this album.
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Jun 30, 2011
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Jul 22, 2011
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May 3, 2011NME have no idea about music. The bar was set very high with the release of the first album, and they have definately delivered. If anything I prefer this to the debut. Each track sounds perfected and I haven't heard harmonies like this since the Brian Wilson led era of The Beach Boys. Absolutely fantastic
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May 3, 2011
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May 3, 2011From the Cover Art to the title "Sim Sala Bim", The Fleet Foxes do not disappoint with Helplessness Blues. Continually seducing the ears track after track to hold on one more note while the song blends perfectly with the next. The album is a perfect sequel to their debut. Not disappointed in the slightest.
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May 3, 2011
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May 5, 2011A full review:
http://ludditestereo.net/2011/05/03/helplessness-blues-fleet-foxes-album-review/
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May 29, 2011Another great album by Fleet Foxes who play engaging, blissful tunes. A tough follow up to the debut but worth the wait. Check out band called Cloud Control (Bliss Release) if like FF.
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May 12, 2011I was hoping for something more up-tempo in the follow up to their debut but instead, Robin Pecknold grows in his own direction, the direction the music is taking him, I think. It has so many instances of beauty and I think I shall be discovering things I like about this album (and this band) many years from now. Comparisons to Van Morrison are probably apt.
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May 15, 2011
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Jul 1, 2011This album is great. Every song is strong. Not as many epic songs as first album but overall I think this work is better than their debut which was also great. Well done. Definitely the best album of the year so far. I give this the #1 spot over TV On The Radio' s 9 types of light effort.
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Sep 6, 2011Fleet Foxes' second album doesn't have the same impact as their debut, but still the songwriting is solid stuff and alike their debut, the album grows throughout and becomes better and better as you go along.
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Nov 9, 2011
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Mar 10, 2012Helplessness Blues steps up the soundscape for Fleet Foxes to a new level. The undeniable greatness of the vocal harmonies remain with new and different instrumental sounds making this album all its own. This is 2011's defining moment in music, one that deserves to be remembered forever.
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May 31, 2011
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May 8, 2011The Fleet Foxes have not disappointed with this sophomore release. The harmonics are astounding as usual; the echoing lofty sounds of Robin Pecknold's voice blending perfectly with the rest of the band. The sounds are quiet, contemplative, and beautiful to listen to. I couldn't have hoped for any better after their first album, but they went ahead and delivered better anyway.
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May 6, 2011It's pretty funny that the only bad review is from NME, who is showing their true biased colors after getting into words with fleet foxes after quote mining Robin and trying to make him sound like he said something he didn't. Of course he called the NME out on this on twitter and told them to remove the story. I guess they held that against them in their review.
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May 6, 2011Gavin Haynes of NME is clearly not familiar with canoozing, a beloved summer pastime here in the Pacific Northwest. The former was the main point of my posting but in order to make it to 150 wordsâ
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May 7, 2011
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May 7, 2011
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May 18, 2011Great follow-up to their debut EP & LP. I particularly enjoy "Grown Ocean" where the band seems to really let go and play with more energy. Check out my full review here: http://earbuddy.blogspot.com/2011/05/earbuddy-review-fleet-foxes.html
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May 8, 2011http://audiosuede.com/fleet-foxes-helplessness-blues/ It's not quite up to the potentials of the first album, especially the first 3-4 songs, but the second half is gorgeous; stripped of its early boredom, the latest Fleet Foxes is not only brilliant but endlessly listenable. With the early issues, it's good, not great.
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May 10, 2011
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May 28, 2011
Awards & Rankings
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Jun 30, 2011The words are as woodsy and quaint as ever. Pecknold seems to take his inspiration from classic British poetry, and rarely refers to objects, characters, or events that would place him in the 21st century, relying instead on imagery like old stone fountains, seeds, keys, sand, and the night sky.
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Jun 9, 2011Where its predecessor corralled modern versions of The Canterbury Tales that the band's foxhunting moniker continues to evoke, Pecknold's Helplessness relies on a suitelike flow in the absence of greatest hits.
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Q MagazineMay 31, 2011Both mysterious and inviting, Helplessness Blues retains and expands what made the debut so special. It's an open door to a private world. [Jun 2011, p.108]