Negotiations… Now you’re talking
Review: The Helio Sequence – Negotiations
Published on September 17th, 2012 | Jonny Abrams
The Beaverton, Oregon duo’s fifth album may very well be the finest this year to give a co-production credit to Mother Nature, the old gal stamping her hallmarks all over the Beaverton, Oregon duo’s grand, open sound in consummate fashion.
“Draw yourself more near to me” Brandon Summers appears to sing on “One More Time” (not a Daft Punk cover, before you ask), likely as a result of his improvisational approach to lyrics; what it may lack here in grammar (and apologies if Rocksucker heard wrong) it more than makes up for with splendidly rolling drums and swoonsome fast-picked guitars, all in all conjuring a Walkmen-esque brand of beauty that occasionally channels Beach House.
“October” confirms that Negotiations will be quite a consistent record with chiming guitar couplets, more reverby washover and skywards ascent, while “Downward Spiral” builds into a pleasing cacophony with ghostly Doves sounds soaring overhead, evidencing along with “Hall of Mirrors” The Helio Sequence’s knack for crafting subtly shifting yet powerful dynamics.
“The Measure” wields great crashing drums and a very effective convergence of backing vocals with a Pulp-y plastic string section, “Harvester of Souls” acoustic fingerpicking and, er, moon sounds, “Silence on Silence” nice rings of what sounds like backwards guitar, and then it’s left to the stately mini-epic of the title track to bring the curtain down on a graceful, lush and comforting album that neither possesses much originality nor particularly demands it.
Rocksucker says: Three Quails out of Five!
Negotiations is out now on Sub Pop. For more information please visit www.heliosequence.com
About the Author
Jonny Abrams Editor of Rocksucker and the website's founder, Jonny is passionate about the music he listens to, both good and bad, as well as interviewing his favourite musicians.
