KRISTEN ENGLERT
Staff Writer
The Helio Sequence, a Portland- based band consisting of songwriter Brandon Summers and best friend, former Modest Mouse drummer, Benjamin Weikel, are launching into the musical arena again with their new album, “Keep Your Eyes Ahead.”
The Helio Sequence does a mediocre job with this new album making sure to keep the drum solos fresh and the acoustic guitar on point. While this band may be compared to a newer version of Modest Mouse mixed with some U2, Summers and Weikel’s individual talents seem to compliment each other well.
Known for its electronically enhanced indie-pop sound, The Helio Sequence does nothing less then amaze listeners with a new kind of sound that is different from its past three albums.
After losing his voice on the band’s first big tour and turning to whiskey and books, Summers gained inspiration from Bob Dylan, and it’s easy to see his musical influence throughout this album.
He emerges with a new folk-like personality that makes listening to his new sound more enjoyable than past albums. It’s apparent that the duo is sticking to their lofty roots, which ultimately results in its original sounds.
Summers’ voice uncannily sounds like Dylan with a more intimate and effortless feeling. In the track “You Can Come to Me” you begin to hear the influence, when Weikel turns away from the catchy opening tracks and wows listeners with his intricate acoustic strumming and scruffy voice.
Some of the tracks on the album are a little repetitive and do nothing to grab your attention. It’s easy to see Modest Mouse’s influence in “The Captive Mind,” which sounds much like Mouse’s track “Ocean Breathes Salty.”
The folk-sounding tracks all work together well because they all kind of sound the same. But even with the same drum fills and guitar solos, Summers’ harmonized vocals aren’t enough to pull this band out of the fourth album slump.
While this album doesn’t lack pure talent, it does lack the spark that will take it to the top of the music charts. It’s hard to deny their raw cohesiveness and individual distinction but that is not enough for these small-town hopefuls. Their newly released single, “Lately,” is the closest they’ll get to music stardom, even though the lyrics offer no real meaning and make it hard to sing-a-long too.
Though The Helio Sequence won’t be breaking records with this album, the music is still good for long road trips or easy listening and will probably get a few plays on the indie-rock radio stations.
Overall, The Helio Sequence produced an average album. Let’s hope they “keep their eyes ahead” for something more stimulating in the future. Maybe Bob Dylan will do a duet with Summers. Until then, this album will most likely collect dust on the shelves at Best Buy.
02-07-2008
