Fleet Foxes
May 2, 2011
On May 3rd Fleet Foxes will release their highly anticipated sophomore album, Helplessness Blues, via Sub Pop Records and head out on a 17-date North American tour. The July 14th-24th tour dates include the previously announced headlining spot at Chicago's Pitchfork Festival.
Helplessness Blues was recorded over the course of a year at Avast Recording, Bear Creek Studios, Dreamland Studios, and Reciprocal Recording. The album was mixed by Phil Ek and co-produced by Fleet Foxes and Ek.
The six-piece from Seattle are Robin Pecknold, Skyler Skjelset, Christian Wargo, Casey Wescott, Josh Tillman, and Morgan Henderson. The piece that appears on the album cover was illustrated by Seattle artist Toby Liebowitz and painted by Chris Alderson.
Pecknold cites influence and inspiration from popular music and folk rock of the mid '60s to the early '70s. He said, "I'd say it's a synthesis of folk rock, traditional folk, & psychedelic pop, with an emphasis on group vocal harmonies. Astral Weeks was a big inspiration on this album, if not always in sound then in approach. The raw emotion in Van Morrison's vocals and the trance-like nature of the arrangements were very inspiring for this album!
"Musically it leans on country music a little bit more, in the slide guitar of songs like 'Grown Ocean' and 'Bedouin Dress' or 'Helplessness Blues.' We used a number of new instruments including the 12-string guitar, the hammered dulcimer, zither, upright bass, wood flute, tympani, Moog synthesizer, the tamboura, the fiddle, the marxophone, clarinet, the music box, pedal steel guitar, lap steel guitar, Tibetan singing bowls, vibraphone, along with more traditional band instrumentation."
Explaining the title of the album, Helplessness Blues, Pecknold said, "One of the prevailing themes of the album is the struggle between who you are and who you want to be or who you want to end up, and how sometimes you are the only thing getting in the way of that. That idea shows up in a number of the songs."
The lead single is "Grown Ocean."
Upcoming Tour Dates:
- 05/03/11 Tue - Seattle WA @ Moore Theatre
- 05/05/11 Thu - Oakland CA @ Fox Theater
- 05/06/11 Fri - San Diego CA @ Spreckels Theatre
- 05/07/11 Sat - Hollywood CA @ Hollywood Palladium
- 05/08/11 Sun - Tucson AZ @ Rialto Theatre
- 05/10/11 Tue - Austin TX @ Stubbs Waller Creek Amphitheater
- 05/11/11 Wed - Dallas TX @ Palladium Ballroom
- 05/13/11 Fri - Nashville TN @ Ryman Auditorium
- 05/14/11 Sat - Atlanta GA @ The Tabernacle
- 05/15/11 Sun - Washington DC @ DAR Constitution Hall
- 05/17/11 Tue - Boston MA @ Orpheum Theatre
- 05/18/11 Wed - New York NY @ The United Palace Theatre
- 05/19/11 Thu - New York NY @ The United Palace Theatre
- 05/21/11 Sat- Upper Darby PA @ Tower Theatre
- 07/14/11 Thu - Toronto ON @ Massey Hall
- 07/16/11 Sat - Chicago IL @ Pitchfork Music Festival*
- 07/17/11 Sun - Minneapolis MN @ State Theatre
- 07/18/11 Mon - Kansas City MO @ Uptown Theater
- 07/19/11 Tue - St Louis MO @ Pageant
- 07/21/11 Thu - Denver CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
- 07/22/11 Fri - Salt Lake City UT @ Red Butte Garden
- 07/23/11 Sat - Boise ID @ Knitting Factory
- 07/24/11 Sun - Troutdale OR @ Edgefield
