Helplessness Blues | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Studio album by | ||||
Released | May 3, 2011 | |||
Recorded | 2010 | |||
Studio | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 49:56 | |||
Label | ||||
Producer |
| |||
Fleet Foxes chronology | ||||
|
Helplessness Blues is the second studio album by American band Fleet Foxes, released on May 3, 2011, by Sub Pop and Bella Union. The album received universal acclaim from critics, going on to be nominated for Best Folk Album at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. The release peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200, the band's highest position on the chart to date. To support the album, the Fleet Foxes embarked on a worldwide Helplessness Blues Tour.
Helplessness Blues is the band's first studio album to feature bass guitarist Christian Wargo and multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson. It is also the only Fleet Foxes album to feature drummer and backing vocalist Josh Tillman, who left the band in 2012 to pursue his solo career under the name Father John Misty.
Robin Pecknold had initially hoped that Fleet Foxes could’ve released their second album in 2009; however, the band's touring schedule had caused them some setbacks. They got together to rehearse new songs in February 2009 in a rented house outside Seattle, but the sessions were mostly scrapped, costing the band $60,000 of their own money. After their tour in support of the 2008 releases ended, Pecknold mentioned the possibility of starting to record new songs, but Josh Tillman, Fleet Foxes' drummer and co-song arranger, was scheduled to play Europe and North America all along the 2009-10 winter as part of his solo musical act.
Added to this, Phil Ek, the band's producer and friend answered in an interview that he was likely to continue as the producer as Robin had already sent him some demos to start listening to. In an interview with Pitchfork Media, Pecknold stated he expected the album to be released sometime in the second half of 2010. In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, Pecknold admitted that his girlfriend of five years found the stress this album placed on their relationship too much, and ended things. Upon hearing the completed album, she realized that Pecknold's efforts were worth it, and they tried to work it out. [1] The couple has since split up. [2]
Pecknold has come out saying for their second album he tried to sound "less poppy, less upbeat and more groove-based". Taking inspiration from Roy Harper's folk album Stormcock , or at least its 12-string guitar he said: "That will be the primary sonic distancing from the last record". Added to this, he stated they wanted to record very quickly, saying he wanted to do the "vocal takes in one go, so even if there are fuck-ups, I want them to be on there. I want there to be guitar mistakes. I want there to be not totally flawless vocals. I want to record it and have that kind of cohesive sound. Van Morrison's Astral Weeks , to me, is the best-sounding album because it sounds like there were only six hours in the universe for that album to be recorded in. So I want it to have that feeling." [3]
The band had recorded since April 2010 in different locations (including West Hurley, New York) after two years of writing material and decided to scrap the earlier idea of a fast recording (though according to the band, the vocal takes so far have all been done in one take, perhaps in line with the original imperfect recording idea).
The album cover was illustrated by a Seattle artist Toby Liebowitz and painted by artist Christopher Anderson. [4] The title track, "Helplessness Blues" was released via free download on January 31, 2011, and the album's fourth track, "Battery Kinzie" premiered on Zane Lowe's show on March 22. Their record label, Sub Pop, also released a downloadable music video made up of recording and other miscellaneous footage set to "Grown Ocean" on its site in support of the album. For Record Store Day on April 16, the band released a 12" double A-side single of the title track backed with "Grown Ocean" in the US and with "Battery Kinzie" in Europe. [5]
On November 1, the video for "The Shrine / An Argument" was released via Sub Pop's YouTube account and Sean Pecknold's Vimeo account. [6]
On Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes take on indie folk, chamber pop, and "meticulous, expansive" folk rock. [7] [8] [9] It also sees them craft a baroque folk-pop style. [8]
Their debut's Americana is also exchanged for a bigger psychedelic folk influence, particularly the kind from 1960s-era Britain. [10]
Aggregate scores | |
---|---|
Source | Rating |
AnyDecentMusic? | 8.1/10 [11] |
Metacritic | 85/100 [12] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [8] |
The A.V. Club | A [13] |
Entertainment Weekly | B− [14] |
The Guardian | [15] |
The Independent | [16] |
Los Angeles Times | [17] |
NME | 4/10 [18] |
Pitchfork | 8.8/10 [19] |
Rolling Stone | [20] |
Spin | 9/10 [10] |
Helplessness Blues received widespread critical acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 85 based on 42 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim". [12] Larry Fitzmaurice of Pitchfork wrote that the album's "analytical and inquisitive nature never tips into self-indulgence" and that "amidst the chaos, the record showcases the band's expanded range and successful risk-taking, while retaining what so many people fell in love with about the group in the first place." [19] Chris Martins of The A.V. Club praised the album's "sophisticated, truth-seeking songs", [13] while Alexis Petridis of The Guardian called it "almost laughably beautiful." [15] Andy Gill, writing in The Independent , felt that Fleet Foxes "manage to make giant strides creatively without jettisoning their core sound." [16] Robert Christgau, who was dismissive of the band's previous releases, gave the album a one-star honorable mention, indicating "a worthy effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well like," and declared it "darker and more socially conscious than either their escapist admirers or their ideological detractors are equipped to notice." [21]
The album was nominated for Best Folk Album at the 54th Annual Grammy Awards. [22]
Publication | Accolade | Year | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
Consequence of Sound | Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 14 [23] |
The Guardian | The Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 20 [24] |
Paste | The 50 Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 2 [25] |
Paste | The 100 Best Indie Folk Albums of All Time | 2020 | 33 [7] |
Pitchfork | The Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 15 [26] |
Pitchfork | The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s | 2019 | 135 [27] |
PopMatters | The 75 Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 1 [28] |
Rolling Stone | 50 Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 4 [29] |
Spin | The 50 Best Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 33 [30] |
Stereogum | Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 31 [31] |
Uncut | The Top 50 Albums of 2011 | 2011 | 12 [32] |
All tracks are written by Robin Pecknold, arranged by Fleet Foxes
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Montezuma" | 3:36 |
2. | "Bedouin Dress" | 4:30 |
3. | "Sim Sala Bim" | 3:14 |
4. | "Battery Kinzie" | 2:50 |
5. | "The Plains / Bitter Dancer" | 5:54 |
6. | "Helplessness Blues" | 5:02 |
7. | "The Cascades" | 2:08 |
8. | "Lorelai" | 4:25 |
9. | "Someone You'd Admire" | 2:30 |
10. | "The Shrine / An Argument" | 8:06 |
11. | "Blue Spotted Tail" | 3:05 |
12. | "Grown Ocean" | 4:36 |
Total length: | 49:56 |
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes. [33]
Fleet Foxes
Additional musicians
Studios
Weekly charts
| Year-end charts
|
Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
---|---|---|
Portugal (AFP) [61] | Gold | 10,000^ |
United Kingdom (BPI) [62] | Gold | 164,918 [63] |
United States (RIAA) [64] | Gold | 500,000‡ |
^ Shipments figures based on certification alone. |
Daisies of the Galaxy is the third studio album by American rock band Eels. It was released on February 28, 2000, in the United Kingdom, and March 14 in the United States, by record label DreamWorks.
Stormcock is the fifth studio album by English folk/rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Roy Harper. First released in May 1971 by Harvest Records, it is widely considered his best record.
Indie folk is an alternative genre of music that arose in the 1990s among musicians from indie rock scenes influenced by folk music. Indie folk hybridizes the acoustic guitar melodies of traditional folk music with contemporary instrumentation.
Fleet Foxes are an American indie folk band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 2006. The band currently consists of Robin Pecknold, Skyler Skjelset, Casey Wescott, Christian Wargo, and Morgan Henderson. Founding members Pecknold and Skjelset have been the only constants through the group's history, with the former serving as leader and principal songwriter.
Fleet Foxes is the debut studio album by American band Fleet Foxes, released on June 3, 2008, by Sub Pop and Bella Union. The album garnered wide praise from critics, many of whom named it one of the best albums of the 2000s and one of the greatest debut albums of all time.
Mykonos is a song by American indie folk band Fleet Foxes, from their second EP Sun Giant (2008). It was released in the UK on January 27, 2009, by European label Bella Union; in the format of 7" vinyl as well as a digital download, and peaked at number 51 on the UK Singles Chart. The B-side is a live version of "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" from their debut album. On May 5, 2009, it was released in the U.S. on Seattle-based record label Sub Pop, with the song "False Knight On the Road" in place of "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song". An alternate version of the song, with a track length of 3:39, was released on the deluxe version of their debut album Fleet Foxes.
Robin Noel Pecknold is an American singer-songwriter, who serves as the principal songwriter and vocalist for indie folk band Fleet Foxes, with whom he has recorded four studio albums. He is known for his distinct baritenor voice and introspective lyrics.
The Tedeschi Trucks Band is an American blues and blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 2010, the band is led by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Their debut album, Revelator (2011), won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. The band has released five studio and three live albums.
Moonfire is the debut studio album by the Australian indie rock band Boy & Bear. It was released on 5 August 2011 in the band's home country, with later release dates elsewhere. Recorded at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with producer Joe Chiccarelli, the record garnered comparisons to other indie folk bands such as Fleet Foxes and Mumford & Sons.
Angles is the fourth studio album by American rock band The Strokes. It was released on March 22, 2011, through RCA Records. It was the group's first album in over five years, following First Impressions of Earth (2006).
Lilly Wood and the Prick is a French folk pop duo composed of Nili Hadida and Benjamin Cotto. Nili was born in Israel. They are best known for their single "Prayer in C”, which gained popularity after being remixed by German DJ Robin Schulz.
The Head and the Heart is an American indie folk band. They were formed in the summer of 2009 by Josiah Johnson and Jonathan Russell. The band currently includes Jon Russell, Charity Rose Thielen, Chris Zasche (bass), Kenny Hensley (piano), Tyler Williams (drums), and Matt Gervais. The band is signed to Warner Bros. Records and have released five albums. Their fifth studio album, Every Shade of Blue, was released on April 29, 2022.
The Helplessness Blues Tour was a world tour by Seattle folk band Fleet Foxes in support of their second album Helplessness Blues which was released on May 3, 2011. The tour visited North America, Europe, Oceania and Japan.
Crack-Up is the third studio album by American band Fleet Foxes, released on June 16, 2017, by Nonesuch Records. Loosely inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's essay collection of the same name, it is the follow-up to their 2011 album Helplessness Blues, following the band's three-year hiatus from 2013 to 2016. It is also the band's first release on the Nonesuch label after departing Sub Pop.
The discography of Josh Tillman, an American singer-songwriter, consists of fourteen studio albums, six EPs, seventeen singles, a soundtrack and several contributions.
The discography of Fleet Foxes, a Seattle-based indie folk and folk rock band, consists of four studio albums, three extended plays (EP), and nine singles. Fleet Foxes was formed in 2006 by vocalist Robin Pecknold and guitarist Skyler Skjelset, and were then joined by keyboardist Casey Wescott, bassist Bryn Lumsden, and drummer Nicholas Peterson.
Shore is the fourth studio album by American band Fleet Foxes, released on September 22, 2020, by Anti- Records.
How Long Do You Think It's Gonna Last? is the second studio album by American indie duo Big Red Machine, which consists of musicians Aaron Dessner and Justin Vernon. It was released on August 27, 2021, via 37d03d and Jagjaguwar record labels. Dessner stated the album is built around themes of childhood, familial dynamics, and mental health. He cited The Last Waltz, the 1978 live album by the Band, as an inspiration for the record.
A Very Lonely Solstice is the first live album by American band Fleet Foxes, released on December 10, 2021, by Anti- Records. It was first livestreamed as a pre-recorded concert film on December 21, 2020.
Twelve Carat Toothache is the fourth studio album by American rapper Post Malone. It was released on June 3, 2022, by Mercury and Republic Records. The album contains 14 tracks and includes guest appearances from Roddy Ricch, Doja Cat, Gunna, Fleet Foxes, the Kid Laroi, and the Weeknd. The deluxe edition was later released on June 7, 2022, including two new tracks, "Waiting For Never" and "Hateful".
Fleet Foxes' first two albums of meticulous, expansive folk-rock have sold more than two million copies worldwide
{{cite AV media notes}}
: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)