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10.0
25598
10.0 |
Mojo
This album is destined to redraw the parameters thanks to its sheer scale and detail. Print edition only
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10.0
25632
10.0 |
The Independent
With Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes triumphantly deliver on the promise of their popular debut
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10.0
26053
10.0 |
Independent on Sunday
An overwhelmingly gorgeous experience
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10.0
26110
10.0 |
A.V. Club
Wide-eyed self-searching is this record’s predominant mode, which Fleet Foxes do both lyrically and sonically, reveling in the process of discovery
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9.4
26066
9.4 |
Beats Per Minute
Fleet Foxes have become a band who will not stop pushing, who will challenge themselves to avoid stagnancy
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9.0
26058
9.0 |
No Ripcord
A cosmic, bombastic record, undaunted and ready to expose itself on every corner with a whole lot of heart
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9.0
26145
9.0 |
The Line Of Best Fit
It’s a beautifully crafted album, with achingly reflective lyrics and a warmth to the harmonies that could melt an iceberg.
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9.0
26178
9.0 |
Consequence Of Sound
Helplessness Blues is nothing if not awe-inspiringly triumphant
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9.0
26235
9.0 |
God Is In The TV
A more mature, more expansive record than their previous work
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9.0
25610
9.0 |
BBC
Helplessness Blues is born out of a fraught gestation period, touched by doubt, uncertainty and the travails of growing older and finding your place. But it is also a thing of beauty
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9.0
25178
9.0 |
Spin
The hooks are softer, the arrangements more ambitious, and 1960s British psychedelic folk a far more palpable influence than Americana
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9.0
25894
9.0 |
FasterLouder
It’s the understated beauty of Helplessness Blues that is its strength, and on the whole, it’s better than the 2008 effort, which is no easy fea
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9.0
25834
9.0 |
Slant Magazine
While Helplessness Blues rarely eclipses the pastoral greatness of the band's first record, it comes as close as possible without forcing the band to completely reinvent itself
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9.0
26018
9.0 |
musicOMH
Helplessness Blues is not the sound of a band radically reinventing their formula, but Fleet Foxes understand the importance of steady evolution
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8.8
26059
8.8 |
Pitchfork
A triumphant follow-up to a blockbuster debut
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8.0
26063
8.0 |
Under The Radar
Helplessness Blues confirms Fleet Foxes' place as one of the most exacting, creative, and straight-up best bands making music in 2011
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8.0
26090
8.0 |
PopMatters
The meticulousness that makes it so beautiful also keeps it from being the future classic many were hoping for
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8.0
26095
8.0 |
The Scotsman
If you loved them before, prepare to fall for them afresh, though you may have to make some room for the Mumford & Sons fans this time round
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8.0
26300
8.0 |
The Skinny
Whether Fleet Foxes represent the best of folk music’s renaissance is arguable, but they’ve unquestionably returned the genre to the masses
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8.0
26376
8.0 |
Blurt
Credit the band's ability to offer reverence and circumspect even while etching a spectral aura all their own
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8.0
26152
8.0 |
The Digital Fix
The heart-stopping magnificence of these songs will not be lost on the listener
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8.0
25957
8.0 |
Entertainment.ie
Nothing here will knock your socks off quite like 'White Winter Hymnal' or 'Mykonos', but the Foxes have still got something magic that sets them completely apart from the myriad of contemporary folk groups currently doing the rounds
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8.0
25960
8.0 |
Daily Telegraph
Helplessness Blues triumphs through sheer musical beauty
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8.0
25968
8.0 |
Rolling Stone
Helplessness Blues is vocalist-songwriter Robin Pecknold's dazzling evocation of early-Seventies rock Eden
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8.0
25978
8.0 |
The Fly
As good a second album as we dared dream it would be
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8.0
25982
8.0 |
The Irish Times
As winsomely wistful as they come
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8.0
25559
8.0 |
Q
It's bewitchingly out of time - neither modern nor retro. Print edition only
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8.0
25579
8.0 |
Uncut
As passionately desolate as anything on Joy Division's Closer
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8.0
25611
8.0 |
The Guardian
Helplessness Blues is far from the audience-baiting gesture artists who feel trapped by their fame tend to make
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8.0
25801
8.0 |
Drowned In Sound
It’s [the] sense of being allowed a window into some deeply personal moments that ensures this record can stand confidently next to its predecessor
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7.5
26120
7.5 |
Bowlegs
There’s something really satisfying in hearing a much loved band fully realise the embodiment of their sound
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7.5
26425
7.5 |
Prefix
Fleet Foxes are one of those rare bands that made their entire point on their debut album
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7.0
26134
7.0 |
Clash
It’s all incredibly pleasant, although at times too one-dimensional, the songs fading unnoticeably into the background, dissipating in those summer skies
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7.0
26069
7.0 |
DIY
At times, sound a little bit too well oiled; almost mathematically formulated
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-
7.0
25818
7.0 |
Rave Magazine
It is clear that those who enjoyed this first record will enjoy this one, those more sceptical may be harder to convince
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6.0
25710
6.0 |
The Observer
A thoughtful, elegant record that retains a great deal of what people loved about the Foxes the first time around
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6.0
26036
6.0 |
State
The album has some carefully crafted songs of introspection and a few brave adventures, albeit it within their chosen folk parameters
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6.0
25880
6.0 |
Eye Weekly
Helplessness Blues is ultimately less captivating than its self-titled predecessor
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6.0
26649
6.0 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
While Helplessness Blues is sparser and more restrained that its predecessor, it’s also spotted by unexpected flourishes that are almost experimental by the band’s traditionalist standard
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4.0
25888
4.0 |
NME
Fleet Foxes suck. They're the soy-latte house band of Starbucks
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