Helplessness Blues
by Fleet Foxes
  • Record Label: Sub Pop
  • Release Date: May 3, 2011
User Score
8.7

Universal acclaim- based on 245 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 227 out of 245
  2. Mixed: 11 out of 245
  3. Negative: 7 out of 245
Buy Now
Buy on

Review this album

  1. Your Score
    0 out of 10
    Rate this:
    • 10
    • 9
    • 8
    • 7
    • 6
    • 5
    • 4
    • 3
    • 2
    • 1
    • 0
    • 0
  1. Submit
  2. Check Spelling
view
per page
  1. Zeus
    May 4, 2011
    5
    I agree with NME ... "They lull you in with their flawlessly polished music and hey-nonny-nonny you into a hypnagogic state, with the aim of making the world safe for the bland, the dull and the wi-fi enabled" (thanks Gavin Haynes) Plus, didn't Pecknold want a very organic feel ... to the likeness of Van Morrison's masterpiece Astral Weeks? Ahh..I don't feel it. The maturity of Pecknold'sI agree with NME ... "They lull you in with their flawlessly polished music and hey-nonny-nonny you into a hypnagogic state, with the aim of making the world safe for the bland, the dull and the wi-fi enabled" (thanks Gavin Haynes) Plus, didn't Pecknold want a very organic feel ... to the likeness of Van Morrison's masterpiece Astral Weeks? Ahh..I don't feel it. The maturity of Pecknold's lyrical content is clear and his voice is as magnificent as on the self-titled album. Yeah, I guess the album is just, simply, boring. I guess if spring ever arrives maybe the album will start to grow on me.… Expand
  2. zimmertosser69
    Sep 2, 2011
    6
    I was letdown by this follow up effort and wished it was more of the harmonic melodies on prior release. I don't see this CD as a step in right direction and hope Fleet foxes gets back to their first 2 releases pattern of beautiful lyrics and arrangements.
  3. CVanOeveren
    Sep 11, 2011
    5
    There are a couple of great songs here, but for the most part this album feels bland, unexciting and disingenuous in comparison to their debut. They may have extended their musical vocabulary slightly, but all it seems to have done is result in aimless instrumental portions.
  4. hydrawithears
    Oct 3, 2011
    4
    If you havenâ
  5. rblu78
    May 13, 2011
    6
    Canoe dig it? LOLZ But in all seriousness, this is just a rehash of old folk, a good one don't get me wrong but a rehash nonetheless. The debut was out of this world and original and sadly this is just nice, affable and passable but that's it.

Awards & Rankings

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

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
85

Universal acclaim - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 39 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 3 out of 42
  3. Negative: 0 out of 42
  1. American Songwriter
    Jun 30, 2011
    90
    The 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.
    Read full review
  2. Austin Chronicle
    Jun 9, 2011
    67
    Where 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.
    Read full review
  3. Q Magazine
    May 31, 2011
    80
    Both 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]
See all critic reviews »