Search - Helio Sequence :: Love & Distance

Different, but excellent

06/09/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you're familiar with the Helio Sequence, Love and Distance will likely come as a shock on first listen. The dense, swirling, electronic ambience that characterized the band's first two albums is all but gone - here, the keyboards favor melody more than mood, and the vocals find a much more prominent place in the mix. And at first, I didn't quite know what to think about that. The album initially seemed to pale in comparison to its predecessors. But I gave it a chance, and by the 6th or 7th song, I was quite enjoying it. At that point, I decided that the band must have hidden the good stuff at the back of the album... but upon returning to the beginning, I found that I enjoyed it just as much. The album just needs a couple of listens to sink in.In short, Love and Distance is a big change in direction for the Helio Sequence, but that's not a bad thing. It stands tall as a fantastic album of upbeat indie-pop."

Electro-pop; ok.

Elliot Knapp | Seattle, Washington United States | 12/01/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Helio Sequence's third album is more focused, more poppy, and less crazy than their first two. The first track is one of the strongest, with a tough (trust me) harmonica riff and some good guitar. Other highlights include "Don't Look Away," "Blood Bleeds," "S.O.S." and "Looks Good." Though the album is tighter than before, there are still a number of throwaway tracks; some of the songs end up sounding like rehashings of earlier songs. What really holds the album together are creative guitar work and the strong, talented drumming. The lyrics are not as good as on earlier releases--they're coming to rely too heavily on flashy but empty, repetetive, plays on words ("brings me to you and it brings you to me") and have missed the rebellious spark that invigorated their earlier lyrics. The album is a worthwhile purchase, however. The songs are catchy for the most part, and have enough rocking moments to make it exciting to listen to for a handful of times, but you might have trouble staying truly interested after a while. Recommended for fans of the Beatles AND indie music, as well as most indie pop fans."

Great album

Ian P. Gustafson | Canby, oregon United States | 06/17/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard the helio sequence because my drum teacher told me that one of his old students played drums for the duo. I own both of their earlier albums and enjoy them mostly for the drum work. I wasn't sure what to expect from "love and distance," so, i bought it and found that i truly loved every aspect of it. It differs from their early more computer based style. they throw in some harmonica and the guitar work is amazing!"