The Helio Sequence

Keep Your Eyes Ahead

(Sub Pop)

Record Review by Alexis Roberts

Maybe it’s just me but I remember the Helio Sequence being a lot stranger a couple of years ago. They’re another one of those bands from Portland that stormed the scene and won everyone over, especially after last summer's tour with the popular Seattle sensations Minus the Bear. Once you hear their latest album, Keep Your Eyes Ahead, you will wonder why Minus the Bear wasn’t opening up for them (oh snap).

2008 is going to be their year. At the end of last year they began picking up speed and now you cannot slow them down. Their beautifully constructed folky indie pop songs will either make you happy or make you cry depending on how they listen to them. This two-man duo is overflowing with so much talent that they don’t need another three people to make their music sound complete (I bet they have a laptop, though, but who doesn’t?).

Love and Distance, their 2004 Sub Pop debut brought them out of the dark and into the stereos of the type of music fan who knows everything three or four years before it gets big.  Now with KYEA they are sure to land onto your mp3 player of choice. Songs like Can’t Say No resemble the earlier Helio Sequence days, while acoustic ballads like Shed Your Love are reminiscent of Cary Brothers. Either way you look at it, there’s something for everyone. It may be user-friendly, but it certainly isn’t bland.

They will soon be embarking out on a tour of the west coast to support the release of KYEA, and this time they will be held responsible for bringing the crowd in as they are the main act, and that’s a good thing. That means a longer set and more time to enjoy what the Helio Sequence has to offer. Say hello to the future Kings of Portland.