In interviews since Fleet Foxes began work on Helplessness Blues, Robin Pecknold has made it clear he wanted to move away from its pop sensibilities and toward murkier folk territory. He name-dropped seminal stuff like Roy Harper’s Stormcock as inspiration. Those hoping for that sort of proggy departure though – with ten-minute suites and vocals wobbling with chorus effects – will be disappointed. Of course, they’ll also be missing the point.
Though perhaps not the wild departure Pecknold hinted at, Fleet Foxes‘ Helplessness Blues is nearly perfect in its execution, and it’s endlessly beautiful. They’ve added depth to their sound without making it overly dark or sluggish, and Pecknold’s songwriting is gaining confidence, taking on more intricate melodies and vocal harmonies without losing any immediate impact. The space between the echoing guitar and his lush vocals that opens “Montezuma” acts as a kind of blank canvas for the record and it immediately gets colored with backing vocals, with more guitars, with Josh Tillman’s subtle but fundamental percussion.