Helvetia, the Pacific Northwest by way of Northern California psychedelic pop-rock act, will release their new album On The Lam this April via The Static Cult Label. The album marks a return to form for band members Jason Albertini and Canaan Dove Amber -- A thoughtful sonic bender that asserts a rearticulated vision and partnership that has brought these two friends back together after a few years of individual work in various Northwest bands.
Helvetia (pronounced hel-vayt-zea) is the brainchild of Albertini. He has contributed to such acts as Xiu Xiu, Papercuts, Mike Johnson & the Evil Doers and even played bass and sang known as "The Kid" in the earliest incarnation of Queens Of The Stone Age.
The first four Helvetia records - The Clever North Wind (2006), The Acrobats and its follow up, Headless Machine of the Heart (both in 2008), along with Helvetia's Junk Shop (2009) - were all recorded in Seattle, WA, where both Jason and Dove had relocated to in 2001 after their band Duster went on hiatus. The band quickly garnered a small, enthusiastic fan base of around the country and in Europe, and eventually led to tours with juggernauts such as Built To Spill, Mike Johnson (of Dinosaur JR. fame) and the recently reformed Meat Puppets.
On The Lam is set for an April release on Clay Parton's The Static Cult Label and will be followed with a flurry of shows and radio appearances. Jason, Dove and Clay are longtime friends from their early days in San Jose, CA, playing together in the critically acclaimed late 90's and UP Records outfit Duster.
Helvetia has been laying low on the touring front since The Acrobats mainly because both Albertini and Amber were involved with various side projects. Amber played with Arthur & Yu and Love As Laughter while Albertini was part of a relentless three-year tour with Built To Spill as a sound tech. "It is hard to have a regular day job and still be active in the music world. Helvetia has never had the option of going out on the road and making enough money to get by, so I opt to work with 'the Spill, running their stage sound so I can still be in an atmosphere of people making music for a living. Plus, those guys are just fun to be around." says Albertini. He continues, "For this record Dove and I are going to do it old school DIY, and just play wherever we can and not worry about the consequences. You have to put logic aside and do the road work if you want people to hear what your doing."
On The Lam is a shimmering collection of 11 tunes that that were painstakingly picked and fussed over out of 40 songs that were recorded during this time. Amber states that it was their intention of crafting sounds that harked to a more soulful 60's tradition yet attempting to give the tunes a vintage futuristic vibe, accomplished by using all analog gear and breaking down the tunes to their rawest form but staying away from traditional song structure. The result is a unique reflection on psychedelia and minimalist pop music played out like your favorite mixtape. The two play all the instruments on this record and emulate the sounds live with the help of friends.
|
