Confronting head-on the onset of second-album syndrome, the critically acclaimed Seattle sextet have returned to once again woo us with their luscious vocal harmonies, gentle guitar and lyrical eloquence. Helplessness Blues is unquestionably a Fleet Foxes album - their base sound has changed only in the use of more layered instrumentation - however it develops the simplistic joy of their debut into something marvellous - a mature, multifaceted ecstasy that unstoppably wells up inside you as you listen. The title track and debut single is a simplistic celebration of ’serving something beyond me’ and is compellingly, unashamedly earnest in its values. Grown Ocean is a self-propelling four-and-a-half minutes of euphoria, Pecknold’s voice rising purer than ever over the background layers. ‘I’ll be so happy just to have spoken’ he sings, and it is this which defines the album - the record seems to hum with the band’s happiness; their joy seems to permeate every song. Even when the lyrics are pensive, sad or self-depreciating the tone remains upbeat. It’s this kind of music that stays with you for life.
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