Date Posted: June 14, 2011
Print Edition: June 10, 2011
By Tim Ubels (Contributor) – Email
“So now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter,” Fleet Foxes front man Robin Pecknold states in the opening lines of Helplessness Blues. Rather than moping in his longing for a past life and dreading time slowly slinking by him, Pecknold uses his sweet pipes and straightforward lyrics to express his romanticized perspective on youth. The songwriter’s uncertainty about the world does not cause him to withdraw from dealing with these tentative feelings. In fact, Pecknold meets these feelings head on, and displays them on a record filled with times of calculated risks, mixed with absolute bedlam. Yes the album comes with baggage, but that doesn’t mean that these aren’t the carefree Fleet Foxes we all fell in love with following the release of their 2008 self-titled debut. The difference here is that this album compares easier with the brightness of Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks than anything Crosby, Stills and Nash, who the Fleet Foxes are often compared to, have done.
The album’s opening track “Montezuma” demonstrates Pecknold’s attempt to gauge his successes and accomplishments in life, and what they truly mean in the grand scheme of things. His reaction to the Fleet Foxes’ success on their debut album is referenced in this song, wondering, “Could I wash my hands of just looking out for me?” He speaks of life and death in a roundabout fashion, and poses the question, “Now what does that say about me?” in reference to the fact that when his parents reached his age, they already had a child. Pecknold realizes that he is no longer a child in need of constant care, and that the next phase of his life has truly begun. The chorus effortlessly attached to this song consists of only a single line, “Oh man what I used to be Oh man oh my oh me,” but in the context of the song carries with it the passion and depth involved with any compelling melancholic sentiment. These lines reveal the songwriter’s progression and maturity through life, as he can now look back upon this time in his life from a new perspective, one that consists of a blissful mix of sorrow and empathy that the listener can truly connect with.
Another standout track is “Lorelai,” which echoes a melody similar to Dylan’s “Fourth Time Around.” A relatively minor, but noticeable letdown comes in the form of the album’s fourth track “Battery Kinzie,” as for a moment, the Fleet Foxes begin to fall into the stale chamber folk sound usually occupied by the likes of Midlike and Mumford & Sons. However, they quickly recover on the Simon and Garfunkelesque “Bitter Dancer,” which includes its own flute part.
From the album’s opener in “Montezuma,” which consists of slow building crescendos and a narrative about personal growth, to the orchestral composition found on the album’s closer “Grown Ocean,” Fleet Foxes flaunt their ability to fluently add intricate instrumentation to their songs, while at the same time spattering lush harmonies across every verse like a coat of fresh primer. The Fleet Foxes show they won’t shy away from adding fresh, clean and crisp instrumentals to Pecknold’s refreshingly sincere lyrics. The result is a measured and pleasant listening experience.
