I bought Pillars of the Earth before I knew that is was Oprah’s Book Club pick for January…honestly! But I’m not sorry I did. It’s a great book full of all the elements of a great story. Ken Follett finished it in 1989, and it’s popularity has been growing for years through word of mouth.
Ken Follett has long been fascinated with the cathedrals of Europe, but it takes a work of genius to make others fall in love with those same ideas through the use of fictional characters in the middle ages.
He spins a wonderful tale of hardship and passion. His characters are truly believable; all have strengths and weaknesses and no one is perfect. Certainly, some are closer to perfection than others, but he doesn’t hide people faults and short comings. Maybe that is what I like best. The book also makes me thankful for everything we have in our modern age, especially the things we take for granted like food, security, compassion and reinforced steal.
I can’t put my finger on who Helio Sequence remind me of, but that is a good thing. I suspect it is because they have a unique yet familiar sound that is immediately appealing. There is something very Flock of Seagullsish about the title track, Keep Your Eyes Ahead. And close to the end of the album in Broken Afternoon you can hear Bob Dylan’s influence. It’s very beautiful and very transparent.
But my favorite song on the album is the first track, Lately. Listen to the song and think of each line as a fib, as if the singer is trying to convince himself that his words are true. It’s a very powerful song.
Helio’s lyrics are understandable, literate and interesting with enough vagueness but not too much to be meaningful.
This is my favorite album so far this year. I won’t be surprised if it ends up on my 10 best for the year.
Artist: The Helio Sequence
Album: Keep Your Eyes Ahead
Label: Sub Pop Records
Download: Keep Your Eyes Ahead (Linked from their website…go check it out.)
Cornelius is the stage name for Keigo Oyamada, a highly creative Japanese artist who chose his name in homage to the movies of Planet of the Apes.
His newest album, Gum, is ears candy with nutrition, not just empty calories. It has the depth to satisfy the heart as well as the ear. It’s a fascinating journey, or as I like to see it, as enjoyable as a day at an amusement park.
Cornelius, by nature is experimental, but he provides just enough traditional pop/rock footholds to make the album approachable, even if you have never heard him before (assuming you are in the mood for something a little out of the ordinary).
As someone who has spent time in Japan and enjoys Japanese Pop/Rock and even the use of hard to understand and sometimes nonsensical English, this album doesn’t strike me a cheesy like so many uses of Japanese English. The use of English, Japanese, and in some cases voices for sound’s sake are reasonable, interesting and fun.
Every song on this album is enjoyable. My favorite is “Music”, both the English and Japanese versions, remind of me Manhattan Transfer. Kling Klang is as Zen as it gets. Linked here as an mp3 download is “Gum” the title track that I really wonder if the Japanese sounds mean something in code as they switch from one ear to the other. Listen and see what I mean.
Ten Story Relapse has been a indie favorite of mine for a long time. They just put this video on Youtube. It’s a great song with a great message from their newest album, Antidisestablishmentarianism. Yeah…that’s a mouth full. Enjoy.
I bought Pillars of the Earth before I knew that is was Oprah’s Book Club pick for January…honestly! But I’m not sorry I did. It’s a great book full of all the elements of a great story. Ken Follett finished it in 1989, and it’s popularity has been growing for years through word of mouth.
I can’t put my finger on who Helio Sequence remind me of, but that is a good thing. I suspect it is because they have a unique yet familiar sound that is immediately appealing. There is something very Flock of Seagullsish about the title track, Keep Your Eyes Ahead. And close to the end of the album in Broken Afternoon you can hear Bob Dylan’s influence. It’s very beautiful and very transparent.
