For nearly three years, fans of Fleet Foxes have waited in anxious anticipation for another full-length album. The band’s self-described “baroque harmonic pop jams” instilled a sensational new hunger in many – a desire for more of this refreshingly original and beautifully-crafted music.

At last, the wait is over. Helplessness Blues marks the band’s sophomore album, and it has more than lived up to expectations.

Despite its seemingly dark title, the album is still replete with the same sense of wonder and joy many fans have come to know so well. There is nostalgia, poignancy, despair and love embedded in deeply harmonic folk tunes.

The music has an earthy, homegrown feel characteristic of Fleet Foxes’ style. This “natural” feel permeates every track, giving listeners the impression the music sprang up from the ground and wove its way through dense forests before reaching urban ears. The emotional range is astounding, too. Some tracks are quiet and introspective, while others are full of exuberance and carefree abandon.

The opening track, “Montezuma,” is more on the introspective side. In the second verse, lead singer Robin Pecknold quietly observes the power of time and death by singing, “In dearth or in excess both the slave and the empress/ Will return to the dirt, I guess, naked as they came.”

The album is full of other pieces of wisdom and simple observation, showcasing Pecknold’s unique songwriting capability. But he is still the common man’s philosopher; he writes without pretense or unnecessary ornamentation. His lyrics encapsulate his understanding of beauty in a simple, awestruck way.

“If I know only one thing, it’s that everything I see of the world outside is so inconceivable often I barely can speak/ Yeah I’m tongue-tied and dizzy and I can’t keep it to myself,” he sings in the title track.

Pecknold is also a storyteller. Many songs carry a narrative quality that draws listeners into his dream rich worlds. “Lorelai” and “Battery Kinzie” are both captivating tales of old love.

The use of violin adds an interesting new flavor to the band’s style. On the second track, “Bedouin Dress,” there is a snaking violin line after the first verse. Its inclusion seems natural and simple, as if it had always been an unquestionable part of Fleet Foxes’ folk ensemble.

In “The Shrine/ An Argument,” the group exposes a raw, chaotic side. Pecknold abandons his usual sweet, refined singing for a grittier sound in the refrain. Toward the end of the song, the boys veer away from the same instrumentation as well. A swirling cacophony of various instruments brings the song to its conclusion. It offers an eerie look into unexplored territory for the group.

Helplessness Blues doesn’t really offer anything dramatically different than its predecessor, but that’s part of what makes it so great. Members of Fleet Foxes have perfected such a refreshing new style that they don’t need to redefine themselves from album to album. Yet listeners will still find something satisfying and original in each track.

There is probably no better way to usher in the spring than with a brand new set of Fleet Foxes’ beautiful, earthen tunes.

5 out of 5 stars