The Helio Sequence - Keep Your Eyes Ahead

I know we’re a bit late to throw in our two cents on this album, but since its much anticipated January 29th release, we’ve been super busy, and so have Brandon Summers and Benjamin Weikel of The Helio Sequence. Just as this album’s predecessor (Love And Distance), Keep Your Eyes Ahead is a smooth journey through rough-edged melodica, which at times can drop you into a dream sequence of some 8-bit Nintendo soundtrack. Benjamin’s drumming is militantly precise as always, which is timed and toned perfectly with the trademark backing keyboard loops that the band is known for. I have personally seen these simple/glitchy loops work crowds into a frenzy. ‘Shed Your Love’, a folky finger-picked sad song, is without a doubt the most soothingly pleasant of the album’s 10 tracks. Brilliantly, and to the sole credit of the two band mates who self produced the album, the drumless ‘Shed Your Love’ is directly followed with the catchy guitar riff and upbeat drums of the record’s first single for which it’s titled. The record does have some filler which comes in the form of 2 tracks that will most likely compel you to click the skip button. Overall, the album showcases a wide range of the band’s tastes and skills. Brandon’s vocals sound much more mature than the rebellious belting of past albums. ‘Broken Afternoon’ sees his vocal style transform into a Dylan-esque dead ringer that almost makes you sit back and wonder to yourself, “is that on purpose?” In total, the songs are arranged well, performed perfectly, and written in a much more vocal-forward fashion than previous albums. I would’ve liked for many of the songs to be a bit longer however. You will definitely find yourself wishing that the humming and toe-tapping would continue past the just under 2 minute mark of some of the song’s endings.

Order Keep Your Eyes Ahead over at Sub Pop or click HERE.