Party of Helicopters Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Few releases from 2003, and virtually none from high-profile acts, come anywhere near the mix of passion and originality achieved on Please Believe It. The production is raw and the instrumentation mercilessly spare, but by overlaying contradictory elements -- punk intensity and prog complexity, thrashing beats and dispassionate vocals that track extraordinarily elusive melodies -- the Helicopters score one bull's-eye after another. Elaborate structures challenge the band to play with precision and without losing any momentum; time and again they pull this off, sometimes by inserting intense episodes amidst the tumble of chords and fragmented rhythms, as in the single-note guitar squall that crops up suddenly in "Mic My Mind." But it's not just the writing that distinguishes these efforts; without the right chops, most bands would be stranded within these stark textures and contrapuntal tangles. Cory Race deserves particular credit for pumping energy through the elaborate channels mapped in these tracks; you won't find more awesome drumming in the modern rock catalog than what he does on "Delta 88." Critics have compared the Helicopters to a bewildering array of recent bands, but to really grasp Please Believe It you need to go all the way back to acts like Gentle Giant; only then will you have a context vast and deep enough to appreciate what these lo-fi phenoms have accomplished. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
'Space and How Sweet It Was'
Release Date 3/5/2002
Tracks 8
Label Troubleman Unlimited
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Too many cooks spoil the broth, or so the saying goes. The same ideal holds for artists who try and cram too many influences into their musical brews; the result is usually the aural equivalent of taking an amazing dinner, dessert, and beverages; smashing it all into a blender; and trying to drink the mess -- far less than the sum of its parts would indicate. Party of Helicopters combine seemingly disparate influences on this two-disc set. Mystical space rock crashes head-on into plodding stoner fare, led by metallic riffs and a post-punk attitude reeking of artistic reckless abandon. The closest comparison would be Helios Creed, who has also experimented with similar musical breadth and styles, but the output is more organic, closer to Bob Mould's work if the Dü-gooder was even more diverse and took different drugs. Even though disc number one features the new lineup before Jon Finley departed (originally a limited-edition one-sided LP entitled The First Two Years of Conquering the Tundra) and the second contains more recently recorded work featuring his replacement, Cory Race, this didn't necessitate a whole other disc, as both of them combined could fit on a single compact disc nearly twice. The difference between the two discs is subtle, but noticeable. The first record shows the band coming close to writing actual pop song structures; leadoff song "Bastard Motherfucker" belies the name by being a catchy three and a half minutes, as if Sonic Youth channeled Cheap Trick, and overall tends to follow in this melodic and relatively accessible direction. The second disc is trippier, a fact at least partially attributed to the nearly 11-minute-long "The Conquering," but both records retain the anti-identity identity such an iconoclastic group can maintain. Space and How Sweet It Was is an excellent follow-up to the critically acclaimed Mt. Forever by being just as uncompromising and even more ambitious. No matter what you try and get out of your musical musings, Party of Helicopters provide it admirably. ~ Brian O'Neill, All Music Guide
'Mt. Forever'
Release Date 10/3/2000
Tracks 8
Label Troubleman Unlimited
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Party of Helicopters are renowned for their ability to blend two genres that one never would have considered feasible together -- metal-ish, almost cock rock-y guitars rubbed together with spacy, shoegazing tones. Dreamy vocals surround in layer after layer of subtle harmony, backed up by distorted metallic riffs spurting everywhere, not to mention blazing solos intertwined with beautiful piano work. Mt. Forever lifts the band into more mature realms, sealing them in with seamless production and a further development of their own sound from their first full-length album, Abracadaver. A perfect reconciliation of soothing tone and rough yet powerful dynamics. As clichéd as it may sound, this is an album to fall in love to. An album to lay on the floor and forget everything. ~ Blake Butler, All Music Guide
