The Helio Sequence : Keep Your Eyes Ahead

The Helio Sequence's latest album, Keep Your Eyes Ahead, has been one of the more intriguing releases of 2008. I've always enjoyed their music and thought that they had enough pop sensibility to have some mainstream success - like their Portland counterparts Modest Mouse, The Decemberists and The Shins.

When I first listened to Keep Your Eyes Ahead, I felt it was quite unremarkable, as there really seemed to be no stand out tracks. After a few more listens, however, I've come to find that to be a postive, as this album's whole is bigger than the sum of its parts.

Their second release for Sub Pop find band the band maturing, not only in their sound, but in their songwriting ability. The dish of rock with the electronica on the side is still there, as can be seen with the dreamy beginning of Can't Say No and the drum beat on Hallelujah that reminds one of Depeche Mode. But the real highlights are the songs, Broken Afternoon and Shed Your Love, that sound like they could have came off a Dylan album.

When having discussions with my friends about music, the thing I always say that the difference between a good band and a great band is that a great band knows when not to play on a song. Meaning that so many bands try to fill every little bit of a song with sounds and layers and end up overdoing it. The great bands use just enough sounds to compliment the lyrics and emotion that they are trying to convey in a song. Keep Your Eyes definitely finds Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel making their way to the later catagory.

Going through the album, you find yourself not knowing when one song ends and another begins. It's got fantastic cohesiveness. There is definitely a sense of sadness that is being conveyed with delicateness and subtlety in their playing that I did not find on their other releases.

The Helio Sequence is definitely on the verge of a larger audience, if they choose to go that direction. I look forward to a Zune commercial in this band's future. Keep Yours Eyes Ahead is available now and the band's tour dates are below, including a stop at SXSW and San Francisco's Noise Pop Festival.

The Helio Sequence - Can't Say No
The Helio Sequence - Shed Your Love

Tour Dates...after the jump...


Feb 26 2008 8:00P Spaceland Los Angeles, California
Feb 27 2008 8:00P Casbah San Diego, California
Feb 28 2008 8:00P Detroit Bar Costa Mesa, California
Feb 29 2008 8:00P The Independent/ Noise Pop Festival San Francisco, California
Mar 1 2008 8:00P Satellite Lounge Reno, Nevada
Mar 7 2008 8:00P Crystal Ballroom Portland, Oregon
Mar 8 2008 8:00P Neumo’s Seattle, Washington
Mar 9 2008 8:00P Neurolux Boise, Idaho
Mar 10 2008 8:00P Kilby Court Salt Lake City, Utah
Mar 11 2008 8:00P Larimer Lounge Denver, Colorado
March 14 - Sub Pop SXSW showcase @ Bourbon Rocks (11:30pm) Austin, TX
March 15 - Sub Pop Showcase @ TBA Austin, TX
Mar 17 2008 8:00P Plush Tucson, Arizona
Mar 18 2008 8:00P Rhythm Room Phoenix, Arizona
Mar 20 2008 8:00P Velour Provo, Utah
Apr 7 2008 8:00P Sodra Teatern Stockholm
Apr 8 2008 8:00P Rockefeller Oslo
Apr 9 2008 8:00P Vega Copenhagen
Apr 11 2008 8:00P Art Gallery (VPRO STAGE) -Hotel Mozaique Rotterdam
Apr 12 2008 8:00P Arts Centre Norwich
Apr 14 2008 8:00P Thekla Social Bristol
Apr 15 2008 8:00P Wedgewood Rooms Portsmouth
Apr 16 2008 8:00P St. Georges Church Brighton
Apr 17 2008 8:00P City Varieties Leeds
Apr 18 2008 8:00P Sage Gateshead
Apr 19 2008 8:00P Union Chapel London

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