After The Helio Sequence had toured through the United States and Europe in 2004 with Modest Mouse, Blonde Redhead, Kings of Leon and Secret Machines the duo of Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel was at a crossroads. According to Helio Sequence’s record company bio, Brandon’s vocal chords were completely shot. At one point, his doctor ordered him to stop singing for nearly two months. Summers recalls, “I really hit the wall, going into 2005 I actually had to think, ‘If I lose my voice, what will I do?”
After that scare, Summers developed a new devotion to his craft, and the band eventually produced Keep Your Eyes Ahead. The Helio Sequence’s fourth album finds the duo blending rock, pop and folk. Summers says he read Bob Dylan’s Chronicles during his months of forced silence. Folk influenced ballads like “Broken Afternoon” and “Shed Your Love” have Dylan’s imprint. Both songs rely on the power and simplicity of the songwriting to grab the listener’s attention, rather than layered instrumentation. “Shed Your Love” is lead by a simple guitar. “Broken Afternoon” is an ode to the human condition.
Clearly, all of the emotional turmoil that Brandon Summers went through over the past couple of years was put to good use on Keep Your Eyes Ahead. The explosive emotion of “Lately” is hard not to experience. Whether it’s because of the dreamy delivery or the pop accompaniment, it’s obvious that what’s being said isn’t what’s being felt.
"Lately I don’t think of you at all, wonder what you’re up to, or how you’re getting on,” our storyteller sings. It seems he is all too aware that he can’t stop holding on to the dream that the relationship will somehow work out.
“Can’t Say No” questions the truth of the written word. Driven by heavy guitars, the song ponders if we are all being forced to “live well, but die fast.” In a world driven by so much consumerism, it seems fair to wonder if it’s healthy for our kids to be awash in “download brainwaves.” The genuine melody that The Helio Sequence has been able to apply to a song dealing with such weighty matters is a revelation. The duo has mixed keyboards, drums and guitars to create a wondrous pop sound.
Article comments
1 - Glen Boyd
Nice review Rebecca. All of the references here to this being "Dylanesque" or semi-inspired by Dylan have my curiosity appropriately piqued.
-Glen
2 - Rebecca Wright
If you have an appreciation for Dylan, you'll likely enjoy several of the songs on this disc. While the band has created their own sound, there's no mistaking a twist of Bob Dylan in there.