Helplessness Blues
Bella Union
****
When the vocal-harmony-rich act Fleet Foxes showed up on the radar in 2008, there was something reassuring, a "talent will out" certainty, about their rapid transit from obscurity to universal acclaim.
The Seattle band's eponymous debut topped many album-of-the-year lists, but the three-year gestation of the follow-up, Helplessness Blues, has been a fraught affair. One version was shelved, and the frontman Robin Pecknold and his girlfriend Olivia are currently attempting to patch-up a relationship all but destroyed by tensions surrounding Helplessness Blues. Difficult second album? Absolutely.
The good news is that the band have succeeded in making a worthy sequel to Fleet Foxes. Pecknold's lyrics - fantasising about being an orchard owner or beekeeper on the island of Innisfree, as imagined in the poetry of WB Yeats - betray a certain ambivalence about the music business, but songs such as The Shrine/An Argument and Montezuma exemplify the 25-year-old songwriter's enduring knack for beguiling melodies.
At root, Helplessness Blues is an exquisite listen, the band mostly adhering to its tested, reverb-drenched folk-rock and sketching Pecknold's arcadian dream.
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Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
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Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Price, base / as tested From Dh173,775 (base model)
Engine 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo, AWD
Power 249hp at 5,500rpm
Torque 365Nm at 1,300-4,500rpm
Gearbox Nine-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined 7.9L/100km
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Engine: 4-litre V8 twin-turbo
Power: 630hp
Torque: 850Nm
Transmission: 8-speed Tiptronic automatic
Price: From Dh599,000
On sale: Now
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Inspiration: Father, who was a captain in the UAE army
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Favourite film: The Founder, about the establishment of McDonald's
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Name: Qyubic
Started: October 2023
Founder: Namrata Raina
Based: Dubai
Sector: E-commerce
Current number of staff: 10
Investment stage: Pre-seed
Initial investment: Undisclosed
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- Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion
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- Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work
- Wear 100 per cent cotton under the kandura as most fabrics are polyester
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- Wear hamdania for work, always wear a ghutra and agal
- Buy a kandura only based on how it feels; ask questions about the fabric and understand what you are buying
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Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Power: 620hp from 5,750-7,500rpm
Torque: 760Nm from 3,000-5,750rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed dual-clutch auto
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh1.05 million ($286,000)
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