User ratings in Music are temporarily disabled. More info

Helplessness Blues
by
  • Record Label:
  • Release Date:
Helplessness Blues Image
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 42 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 245 Ratings

  • Summary: The Seattle indie-folk outfit return with the harmonious follow-up to their debut.
Buy Now
Buy on
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Genre(s): Pop/Rock, Alternative/Indie Rock, Alternative Pop/Rock, Indie Rock, Indie Folk
  • More Details and Credits »

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. The A.V. Club
    May 4, 2011
    100
    Wide-eyed self-searching is this record's predominant mode, which Fleet Foxes do both lyrically and sonically, reveling in the process of discovery.
  2. Filter
    May 3, 2011
    93
    No matter who appreciates or appropriates this music, who likes it or where you discover it, it is a testament to its power more than its populism.
  3. Paste Magazine
    May 4, 2011
    90
    For now, Pecknold and his bandmates are important cogs in the indie-music scene - with a few more albums akin to Helplessness Blues under their belts, they may soon fit just as nicely into the canon of American folk music.
  4. CMJ
    Apr 29, 2011
    80
    In between the soul-searching, Fleet Foxes cranks out some pretty great singalong songs. And that's what it's all about, isn't it?
  5. PopMatters
    May 3, 2011
    80
    So if there's one thing Helplessness Blues confirms, it's that he and his band are innovative and dynamic, capable of making music that rises above the disposability of the digital age and lasts a good long while.
  6. The Guardian
    May 2, 2011
    80
    The result is almost laughably beautiful.
  7. New Musical Express (NME)
    May 2, 2011
    40
    They peddle the same sort of fake-rustic rootsiness that seems to be colonising our era: all these flatpack off-the-peg dreams of Ruritania that iPad-stashing mid-lifes have taken up as a counterpoint to their rabid technophilia.

See all 42 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 64 out of 70
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 70
  3. Negative: 1 out of 70
  1. RelaxThereIsNoG
    May 5, 2011
    10
    NME need to throw in the towel, a 7 for Britney Spears, but a 4 for Fleet Foxes? Was this written by some guy who someone keeps locked away inNME need to throw in the towel, a 7 for Britney Spears, but a 4 for Fleet Foxes? Was this written by some guy who someone keeps locked away in a basement somewhere? Perhaps they don't allow him sharp objects, so instead of pencils, he writes his reviews with his own fecal matter? Regardless, Helplessness Blues is an instant classic,it also translates really well live. There really isn't anything else that needs to be said, this album will go down in history.… Expand
  2. rapscallion1980
    Jan 5, 2012
    10
    This is a beautiful album, when I make a cup of coffee and put paint to canvas, nothing inspires me more than this album. I honestly thoughtThis is a beautiful album, when I make a cup of coffee and put paint to canvas, nothing inspires me more than this album. I honestly thought they couldn't top thier first effort, but now I think they did. Helplessness Blues deserves a 10 and in my opinion is a tossup for best album of the year with Tom Waits 'Bad as Me."… Expand
  4. mcdoogs87
    May 6, 2011
    10
    It's pretty funny that the only bad review is from NME, who is showing their true biased colors after getting into words with fleet foxesIt'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.… Expand
  5. Sadvilliany
    Jan 1, 2020
    10
    Oh my GOD this album is gorgeous. By far one of my favorite albums of all time. If you haven't listened to this, please, do it now.Oh my GOD this album is gorgeous. By far one of my favorite albums of all time. If you haven't listened to this, please, do it now. Helplessness Blues is an album that will leave you either sad, bittersweet, hopeful, or some weird mix of those. It goes through feelings of not living up to expectations and losing who you once were (Montezuma), feelings of hopelessness and helplessness and realizing that your outlook of life growing up was completely wrong (Helplessness Blues), and even feelings of existentialism (Blue Spotted Tail). This album, at least for me, is a feel trip. I hope that if you choose to listen to this album, you love it as much as I do.

    Top 5 Tracks: Helplessness Blues, Blue Spotted Tail, The Shrine / An Argument, Grown Ocean, Bedouin Dress    … Expand
  6. BrowncoatBob
    May 14, 2011
    9
    At first I was a little unhappy with this album, I wanted it to be more like the first, not that it's vastly different but after I absorbed itAt first I was a little unhappy with this album, I wanted it to be more like the first, not that it's vastly different but after I absorbed it for a little while, I found myself loving every song. There's not many albums I can listen to all the way through (In Rainbows is the only other that comes to mind) without at least one song I don't like so much, and while this album had some weak songs in my mind, overall the entire album is well worth actually paying for and owning forever, much less listening to.… Expand
  7. PooPooPerson
    Jul 1, 2013
    9
    Not as accessible as their first album. Less structured and more jam-oriented, it took a few listens to really get into it. But once you stopNot as accessible as their first album. Less structured and more jam-oriented, it took a few listens to really get into it. But once you stop looking for patterns, hooks, and other familiarities that we typically listen for and let yourself be carried away by the flawless harmony and imagery of this album, you'll reach the nirvana that few bands but Fleet Foxes can deliver.… Expand
  8. dartagnan
    Dec 14, 2011
    2
    oh dear it would help if they wrote actual songs here but instead we' re are mistreated to song treatments, fragments if you will instead ofoh dear it would help if they wrote actual songs here but instead we' re are mistreated to song treatments, fragments if you will instead of the actual thing, all done in the inimitable style of CSN. hey deja vu all over again, it was bad the first time around, it's not getting any better this time.… Expand

See all 70 User Reviews

Related Articles

  1. Best of 2011, Music

    The Best Albums of 2011

    The Best Albums of 2011 Image
    Published: December 30, 2011
    We reveal our official list of the best-reviewed albums of 2011. Plus, get links to stream virtually all of our top albums, find out which LPs our users preferred, and see which 2011 releases scored the lowest with critics.
    More »
  2. Best of 2011, Music

    2011 Music Critic Top Ten Lists [Updated Jan. 7]

    2011 Music Critic Top Ten Lists [Updated Jan. 7] Image
    Published: November 29, 2011
    Between now and January, we'll be collecting top 10 lists published by major music critics, publications, and websites, and tallying their cumulative picks to determine the best albums of 2011. Check back here daily to get an updated scorecard.
    More »
  3. Music

    May's Best New Music

    May's Best New Music Image
    Published: May 31, 2011
    Find out more about the past month's best albums, which include new works from Fleet Foxes, Raphael Saadiq, and the Beastie Boys. Plus, listen to tracks from each one.
    More »

Awards & Rankings

23
#23 Best Album of 2011
17
#17 Most Discussed Album of 2011
28
#28 Most Shared Album of 2011