Album Rating: 3.0

the ending of "The Shrine/An Argument is so odd

Album Rating: 3.0

yeah its definitely a strength, the first thing i think of when somebody mentions the band is 'cathedral vocals'.



i probably like this as much or more than the debut. think this is a bit more solid.

Album Rating: 3.0

Feels way too stale to be a 5.

Album Rating: 3.5

I still don't like this nearly as much as I liked their self-titled, maybe this just needs more time.

Album Rating: 3.5

not too hard to be the best release of a band's career when they've only released two albums...



also, i like this review but it felt like i was reading an academic essay for most of it.

Don't like this

great album but really not a 5 :-/, all of the tracks are solid but there are only 1-2 i would go and tell people - who dont like folk/indie music - to listen to

Album Rating: 4.0

I haven't heard this album, but I can say categorically that this review really struggles to impose

itself or convey anything concisely. It takes too long (four paragraphs!) to get started, for

one. The backing concept of American folk canon is interesting, but the execution of the idea is

weak. The last two paragraphs are almost red-herring-like in their presentation; the last one, in

particular, has virtually nothing to do with everything else in the review.



Some sentences are a bit of a throwaway, too. Here: Helplessness Blues is, without a doubt, the

best release of the band's career.



That's not saying much when they only have one other album, right? (Sun Giant hardly counts

as a full release).



Also, the only line (as far as I can see) that argues why the album is good is this: it's the

classic sound of a band evolving into their prime, trying anything they want and making it work

every time. Despite the expansion into more myriad territories, nothing on Helplessness Blues is a

throwaway track; nothing lacks in quality.



One needs a bit more justification when dealing with a 5.0, don't you think? Also, all those aren't

really arguments - they're frankly just assertions.



I dunno Tyler - I've just read much better from you. I came away from this review feeling very

confused and with no idea how this is in any way better/different from the band's debut album. No

offense intended. Cheers.

kinda agree with what irving said, you explain briefly their new "experimentation" with instruments but after 6-7 listens im not hearing anything that makes me go WOW, this has never been done before - or WOW this is the best (or close to) folk has ever sounded before

Great review. Maybe you didn't cover the album itself enough, but I dug the foray into the folk music's history, and felt that it contextualized the album nicely. Wasn't planning on checking this record out, but I think I've changed my mind.

Album Rating: 4.0

well uh



huh



interesting

Is it really this good? Whoa. So, is this better than their first release? I found their debut to be refreshing, but somewhat repetitive after a period of time. I might pick this up then, I saw it at Best Buy, and I need some more good folk-esque stuff.

Album Rating: 4.0

hey uh



maybe, just maybe, tyler's opinion isn't incontrovertible fact and there's no real need to be going "whoa what this is good okay wow i must check this out"



fuck i'm cranky again

Album Rating: 5.0

yeah im with tao, i dont like it when people say whoah sowing gave this a 4.5 or a 5 im gonna go buy this



then they're like hey wtf i hated this, complete waste of money gonna give it a 3.5

sputnikmusic where everything is five outta five

Album Rating: 3.0

THIS ISNT A 5 HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME

Album Rating: 3.5

Some great songs but also some lesser ones, so not a consistency which makes it something I would listen to from start to end. A bit like the first album, well above average, some really great stuff but not a classic album. I would rate it maybe a 4.

Album Rating: 4.0

Pecknold hinted that the band took less time rehearsing their vocals during the recording process, going for a more raw sound as opposed to the almost too perfect harmonies on their previous two releases. Sonically, that might not be apparent at first, but the end of the album, the a cappella section of "Grown Ocean", hints at that more organic process. While the harmonies are still essentially perfect, there is a sense of exploration in the ensemble sound, in its rubato, free-form nature.

What is with all these staffers/contribs giving random albums 5's this year? That said, great review Tyler.

I would like to point out that W.B. Yeats was an Irish and not a British poet. Sorry to be picky but 800 years of oppression makes you value what is yours. Great review! Absolutely one of the best I've read on sputnik.