Helium

Helium came to life at mid-1992 at Washington, D.C and owner of two full-length albuns, The Dirt of Luck (the one you'll find just below, in case you're in a hurry or just don't want to read me) from '95 and Magic City, which came at 1997 via Matador Records, besides some singles and EPs. Headed by Mary Timony, who joined them in 1993, Helium is very hard to classify; you'll find all the elements that made '90 Alternative Rock so special and beloved to us until these days, although they are quite different from almost everything you have heard. At overall they look like a curious mix between Sub Pop and 4AD universes, whose melodies summon names such as Throwing Muses and Belly to our minds, however, it wouldn't be unusual to think of Pixies (early era), The Breeders, Hammerbox, Swervedriver when listening to them... and, still, it's not enough to describe their versatiliy.

I'm surprised (actually, amazed) that they didn't go huge or at least scored one big hit when they were active. They made a slightly moderate hit at 1995, with the opening song "Pat's Trick", but that was just it. Maybe it was the wrong timing, since Alternative Rock was going though freefall popularity at the mid-to-late '90. Or maybe it's just matter of bad taste and dirty ears from the public. We'll never know. Whatever was the reason, it's an underrated cult gem from the golden '90, imo, and everyone should at least give a careful listen to it! ;)


update: New The Dirt Of Luck's link, besides links for '97 Magic City album and the EPs '94 Pirate Prude and '95 Superball. ;)







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