Helplessness Blues

In an indie rock scene that's often overtly urban, Fleet Foxes' 2008 self-titled debut was a breath of fresh air, channeling strains of Appalachian folk via the Pacific Northwest. Since then, ragged beards and out-in-the-woods recording values have become much more commonplace, though the young band's sophomore effort should keep them two steps ahead of their followers. Helplessness Blues is undeniably a Fleet Foxes record, though it refuses to simply rehash the sound of their first go-round. Robin Pecknold and his troupe of Northwestern minstrels have plenty of new tricks up their sleeves, all of which serve their trademark three and four-part harmonies quite nicely. Helplessness Blues is a more confident display than the self-titled, with the arrangements' baroque charm and Pecknold's nature-obsessed lyrics sounding more meaningful than before. Now with ex-Blood Brothers multi-instrumentalist Morgan Henderson on board, Fleet Foxes' full band jams ("Montezuma," "Helplessness Blues") sprawl out in interesting new directions. Of course, there are still plenty of intimate moments for Pecknold's soothing vocals to take center stage (see "Blue Spotted Tail" or the intro to the eight-minute epic "The Shrine/An Argument"). For a band that started small, Fleet Foxes have managed an improbable level of success, but the homegrown invention of their latest work saves them from the dreaded sophomore slump.