The Wilderness are one of my favorite bands from one of my favorite labels Jagjaguwar. It's impossible for me to be objective about Wilderness because I think they speak to me and only me. No one else can understand them like I do. To listen to them and appreciate them is to feel this way.
Objectively, their sound is reminiscent of PIL Second Edition. It can be discordant, challenging and emotive. Yet their sound to me is emotive and powerful, fresh and provocative. It requires repeated listening to the entirety. Though it's broken up into 8 songs, it's one piece. The crinkly crisp guitar, plodding bass and drum, emotive vocals build until the 6th and 7th tracks where the ugly and beauty become transcendent.
Monday, November 17, 2008
Sunday, November 16, 2008
The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Talking to Ben tonight he suggested I start blogging about the CDs I'm listening to. I'm amazed at how much great music has been put out this year. In years past, I've put out end of year best of lists without much detail about why a particular CD is on the list. The lists were self indulgent memory queues for me to reminisce about what I was listening to at a given time without any context for anyone else. Here's an attempt to put some context around the music I find special.
The Helio Sequence has been one such band for me since I first saw them open for Ugly Casanova at the Parrish. Benjamin played drums like an octopus with a flailing tongue and Brandon played wonderfully fuzzy guitar and screamed lyrics all the while their electronic loops filled in the spaces between their notes.
Their first three CD's followed a similar formula which I thoroughly enjoyed. Keep Your Eyes Ahead is a departure from their previous work. I read that Brandon had some issues with losing his voice and even having to relearn how to sing prior to Keep Your Eyes Ahead. The result is a more mature if mellower sound.
The first song Lately is the most beautiful post break up song I've heard. Most of the songs deal with the theme of solitary happiness. There is a richness to the songs now which grows from their maturity as musicians and song writers.
The Helio Sequence has been one such band for me since I first saw them open for Ugly Casanova at the Parrish. Benjamin played drums like an octopus with a flailing tongue and Brandon played wonderfully fuzzy guitar and screamed lyrics all the while their electronic loops filled in the spaces between their notes.
Their first three CD's followed a similar formula which I thoroughly enjoyed. Keep Your Eyes Ahead is a departure from their previous work. I read that Brandon had some issues with losing his voice and even having to relearn how to sing prior to Keep Your Eyes Ahead. The result is a more mature if mellower sound.
The first song Lately is the most beautiful post break up song I've heard. Most of the songs deal with the theme of solitary happiness. There is a richness to the songs now which grows from their maturity as musicians and song writers.
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