2011 albums of the year : #4

4. helplessness blues fleet foxes sub pop, may 3, 2011 "helplessness blues"

if not for the difficulties i faced this year, helplessness blues would no doubt be higher than number 4. who knows--given my current state and the questions i have been left with concerning life and happiness, i can see myself developing a more personal connection to this album as time goes by. but what i know today is that helplessness blues is one of the most purely enjoyable and satisfying albums that i've heard in a long time. robin pecknold's vocals are given more prominence, with the vocal harmonies that so defined fleet foxes now more of a background flourish. and they are simply sublime, lending a serenity that belies the difficulties of the existential questions being considered.