I was lucky enough this morning to wake up to the exciting news that one of my favorite bands' sophomore effort, Helplessness Blues, had leaked. Within a few minutes I was able to get a good internet grip on the album and listen to it from beginning to end.
The album opens with the honest and beautifully clear voice of Pecknold posing this question: "So, now I am older than my mother and father when they had their daughter. Now what does that say about me?" Pecknold has gotten a bit older since Fleet Foxes first hit the scene and it's clear that he's spent a good deal of time thinking about life. An attitude of existentially drenched reflection persists throughout the entire album, and is nothing short of awe-inspiring. The sound may be somewhat different, but the reason I love this band remains the same; I know I'm not alone in my self-scrutiny, and that makes me a little more comfortable in my own skin. Hell, I'll even go out on a limb and say it makes me happy to question my own existence incessantly.
If you have the means to do so, get your hands on a copy of this album immediately (and buy it, of course, when it drops officially on May 3rd), and if you aren't, prepare yourself mentally for one of 2011's very best.
If you haven't already heard this track, be ashamed of yourself.
