Helio Sequence
Young Effectuals
Cavity Search
The second installation from Portland duo Helio Sequence is beautiful music for an ugly world. At least that’s what they’d like you to think. Sophomoric lyrics remind us that society is enslaved by corporations or assert the band’s superiority with lines like, “I’m not part of your little scene/ I don’t read your magazine/ We don’t play your fashion shows/ We don’t wear your pretty clothes.” However, the vocals (and condescending undertones) get lost in the convolution of excessively layered synths.
Many of their self-indulgent tracks exceed the six minute mark. They lack the hooks and mid-song mood swings that made epics like “Paranoid Android” radio friendly. Overall, the album is a banal gaze at one’s shoes. Helio Sequence has the potential to be a My Bloody Valentine or Stereolab after they gain more experience. But skip the CD, and see their live show which possesses a balance and energy that this self-produced disc lacks.
The Helio Sequence: http://www.theheliosequence.com/
