On Helplessness Blues, their second disc of intimate, obsessively crafted folk, the bearded Seattleites take a giant step forward in their quest to turn the clock backward. While their 2008 self-titled debut won acclaim for its hushed Americana, Blues bubbles with bloodless Brit-inflected whimsy and polite mysticism. ''Why is the earth moving 'round the sun?'' frontman Robin Pecknold wonders on ''Blue Spotted Tail,'' revealing himself to be as sweetly retro with astronomy as he is with his muse. B–
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