There’s nothing better than listening to an instantly accessible album- a record that can be enjoyed during all hours of the days for whatever purpose, an instantly familiar album - a record that sounds as if you’ve been listening to it your whole life, and can not come up with an answer to either of the two million dollar questions:
- 1. What do they sound like it?
- 2. Who would you compare them to?
Regarding Helvetia , the answer to both questions is a shrug, and “I don’t know.” (I personally will put them in the same category with The Sea and Cake even though they sound nothing alike- it’s the only band I’ve had this experience with. There is also a very slight resemblance to immensely underrated The Helio Sequence.)
Helvetia could be considered a bit eccentric or quirky, but not ironic or a joke band. While others have tossed around terms such as progressive or psychedelic, nobody has been able to accurately pinpoint this sound and often confess that the album is incomparable.
For some reason, this record seems nostalgic. It seems as if it could be played in a movie that features trippy flashbacks to strange things that have happened in the past. Perhaps a perfect soundtrack for certain scenes in David Lynch movies.
The Clever North Wind features the best drumming of any album this year and drummer Caanan Amber should be way more recognized and on the cover of magazines such as Modern Drummer.
The latter portion of the album is not only better than the first half (which alone is a statement considering the first half is better than 95% of what’s out there), it’s borderline flawless. The very last song, The Drowning End, is the best song on the album and maybe even the best song of the entire year- it’s on the shortlist of great songs for the entire decade.
Also noteworthy, Helvetia is from Seattle, two of their members formerly played for the band Duster, and toured this year with Built to Spill- another band they could somewhat be compared to in certain regards. 9.5/10
5 Comments »
I don’t understand why you would put them in the same category as The Sea and Cake if they sound nothing like them?
When I listen to The Sea and Cake, particularly their first three albums, for some strange reason it feels as if I have been listening to them my whole life and It brings back strange childhood meories. Helvetia does the same thing.
Thank you for mentioning the Helio Sequence - there’s a band that’s been swept under the rug. If the first listen to The Clever North Wind is as good as the first (through thirtieth) time through Love and Distance, then I know what’s going on this weekend’s things-to-buy list. Incidentally, Love and Distance may be high on the list of Best of [Discovered but Not Recorded in] 2006.
I love this album. Great site BRAVO!
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Comment by joiezabel — December 7, 2006 @ 7:27 pm
i also really liked this album. i was really into duster and the whole my space holiday conglomeration thing a couple years back so when this came out i was really curious. i’m going to have to drag it out and listen to it now.