I love blasts from the past. I was doing some cleaning in my studio and decided to throw on some vinyl so I could whistle while I worked. Digging through my milk crate full of records, I flipped right past my Helium record, and then stopped. I decided to throw it on, since I haven't given it a spin in a couple years. After the first couple of notes.....I remembered just how much I loved Helium in the day.
Helium was in no way a big name in the 90's indie scene. My recollections are that they were marketed as a slacker band with a cute and pouty female lead singer, and I don't believe they ever had radio rotation in Canada, or even a hit. Most of their acclaim came from "The Dirt of Luck", their second major release. The album was lifted by the singles "superball" and "honeycomb", and was full of ambient, feedback laden guitars with dreamy tempos. They came and went for me....I didn't pay a whole lot of attention at the time but thought they were cool.
Several years later I was at the record store and saw "The Magic City" on vinyl. I didn't even realize Helium was still around, (I found out they weren't) but I was starting a modest vinyl collection and thought..."what the heck". Got home, put it on......and wow. Such a huge leap forward musically, stylistically, much deeper songwriting. Also, much stronger guitar work. That record spun several times that summer and fall and I played it for many of my friends. I also respected its true album feel. There are no weak points from start to finish. The album ebbs and flows and tells a story from start to finish. Definitely the type of album you can listen to on repeat throughout a day.
Just a few years back I went to The Phoenix in Toronto to see Spoon with opener Mary Timony......who I didn't realize at the time was the cute and pouty but also kick ass guitarist of Helium. She put on an amazing display that night and really rocked the crowd. Between her set and Spoon taking the stage.....I saw her sitting at the merch table and went over to say hi and pick up a copy of her solo album. She seemed a but surprised when I brought up Helium and specifically my love for The Magic City. She remarked that although The Magic City was a labour of love, it was also their dying gasp.
Often times bands can peak too early and receive acclaim for the weaker album.....only for their landmark album to be overlooked and passed by. I suspect that they were marketed for the stereotype that Timony filled during the era of Courtney Love and Babes in Toyland, but the talent was never truly recognized. Victims of being lumped into a genre that is on the way out.
A similar and more recent band that comes to mind is Montreal's "Land of Talk"......and many parallels can be drawn to Helium. 3 piece band, strong female guitar player, killer rhythm section. I though for this blog post I would simply post videos for each band and let you see for yourselves. 2 great bands from 2 decades apart....both underrated IMHO. Enjoy
