


Unpredictable and magical, yet always there for you when you need them. Somewhat elusive and vaguely mystical, yet earthly and affable. If the Helio Sequence was an animal, what animal would it be?ĭefinitely a Totoro Forest Spirit. We watched the whole set in a state of blaring, blissed-out awe.
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Curious, we walked inside the door to see a huge stack of Marshalls turned up to 11 and our minds were blown when we realized it was J Mascis and his band in full glory doing an in-store performance. It was one of the first years that we played SXSW (early 2000s?) and we were wandering around the streets of Austin when we heard a rumbling coming from a record store. In honor of the Volume festival, who played the loudest set you've ever seen? Growing our sound along with our always-developing understanding and love of music. The driving philosophy has always been evolution and change.

What has been the driving philosophy behind the band? Next year is 20 years of the Helio Sequence. We actually find ourselves liking deadlines these days! We've been doing lots of work recording and mixing other bands and composing for commercial projects and working quickly has been critical in keeping momentum and growing in those areas. And going with the "first idea, best idea" approach has helped both of us to streamline our work, which is something we've had a difficult time with in the past and has led to us taking forever to make music. It's helped me to feel less precious about songwriting and less likely to stop myself if something isn't going exactly as I planned. Working quickly was an encouraging affirmation of trusting our instincts and at the same time resisting the urge to self-edit or stifle ideas before they've had the chance to grow into something. Did you learn anything from that process that you may apply in the future?īRANDON SUMMERS: Absolutely. VOLUME: For the last album, you recorded 26 songs and then distributed them to friends and family to have them vote on their favorite 10. Here's more of our conversation with Summers, edited lightly for space and clarity. "Rather than make up some kind of fancy name for it like 'music for self-actualization' or 'reflections on sonic creation,' we figured The Helio Sequence would work well. The band's sixth album (2015's The Helio Sequence) is its first and only self-titled effort so far, and with good reason: "When we looked at the process after pulling together the songs, we realized it was a lot about trusting ourselves, flowing with our creative instincts and being in the moment," Summers says via email. Formed in 1999, the duo - Brandon Summers (vocals/guitars) and Benjamin Weikel (drums/keys) - has released six albums of shimmering, shoegaze-y electro-pop-rock, each one a thoughtful and well-constructed step forward from its predecessor. Within Portland's ever-evolving music scene, the Helio Sequence is a constant, comforting presence.
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Check out this album if you're a fan of really good electronica-tinged indie rock.Catch them on Saturday, June 2, at the Washington Cracker Building. My favorite tracks are October, Downward Spiral, Silence on Silence, and Open Letter. Negotiations seems softer than the band's earlier music. Keep Your Eyes Ahead is so superbly good that it's going to take a long time for Negotiations to surpass it, if it ever even does. Love and Distance is better than Young Effectuals, Keep Your Eyes Ahead is better than Love and Distance, and Negotiations is. The main reason for that is I think they get better with every album. The album was written, recorded, produced and mixed from May. I've seen them live more than five times since that first night, and each time it gets better. The Helio Sequence is the sixth full-length album by the band The Helio Sequence, released on by the label Sub Pop. Like Summers, Weikel is a phenomenal musician and possib ly the best drummer I've ever seen in concert. Summers sings and plays guitar while Benjamin Weikel looks like the happiest guy in the world while playing those drums. That's another singular aspect I love about them - it's just the two of them up there. Brandon Summers showcases his immense guitar talent and singing ability while fronting the band alone. They need to be seen live at least once, they're one of those rare bands that actually sounds better in concert.

That concert was spellbinding and they've been among my favorites ever since. I can still remember the night about ten years ago when I first saw them in concert, at The Crystal Ballroom in Portland, OR. A Long-Awaited Album From A Great Portland BandĪs a huge fan of the Helio Sequence, I've been waiting for years for this album to arrive.
