It may be over a decade since dream-pop shoegazers Helen first shimmered into view with ‘The Original Faces’ but their follow-up, ‘Linda’s Head’, shouldn’t be seen as a come-back album. Fronted by Liz Harris (aka Grouper), Helen is part of this mercurial artist’s DNA, a fundamental element of her ever-evolving soundscape. So there’s probably no calculated plan surrounding the timing of ‘Linda’s Head’s release. The album appears because for Harris and other original member drummer Jed Bindeman the time is right creatively.
Since that first release in 2015, the pair have been joined by Scott Simmons on bass but thankfully the band haven’t lost focus of Helen’s original premise, to channel that spirit of C86 indie pop and shoegaze. The dynamics of ‘Linda’s Head’ may be more varied than ‘The Original Faces’ but the new album still upholds the hovering haziness and jangling beauty of that first Helen offering.
Faraway is a gently understated, intriguingly brief opener which thrives on simplicity and honesty. Built around Scott Simmons softly padding bass pattern the dynamics are perfect, soothing, light drums and Harris’s downcast vocal, tinged with delicate echo. “I’ve been faraway remembering dreams” she admits before hinting at regrets as the last note briskly closes down. The intensity grows steadily from here with Starline’s power-pop wake up call, all romping snare/ tom-tom combo, muted guitar fuzz and Harris hitting the melodic midtones with a melancholic restraint. The sound faithfully navigates an intersection of early Lush energy and Cocteau’s flow but there’s something deeper going on here, a story of peaceful letting go. “I’m drowning on earth/I’m not coming back/ the sky is my home/ I’m floating in black” Harris sings before the reveal “I like this, I want this”.
On early listens it’s maybe easy to get sidetracked by the mid-eighties/ nineties reference points that Helen draw on. The wandering bass line and scuttling rhythms of the Ride-ish Endless Sky and the pounding drums versus whispy vocal on the title track, both pass the shoegaze acid test but replication is not the point. Helen use these sonic tools to entice you into their songs, to wade in further and discover the narrative which drives this fine album.
The ebbing and flowing, slowcore of darkblue seems to be a pivotal point for ‘Linda’s Head’. From glacial guitar to chiming vibes to the surging upturn there’s an emotional escalation, before an open-armed, MBV squalling conclusion. In the aftermath the mood lifts for the head bobbing strum of Dead shark and the shambling Sarah Recordsy Dead shark II. There’s a sense of changed perspective here.
Perhaps tellingly a second person enters the lyrical conversation. The achingly beautiful Black and quiet love is a subtle heart wrencher, a grunge unplugged stark exposé where questions get asked. “Say you wanna be with me” and “Do you know what it’s like to have no home“ Harris asks, her pure voice ringing with clarity. Stay with me continues the conversation with a Low-like soulfulness and a confession which circles back to the album’s starting point, “I miss you everyday/ longing to see you in dreams.”
‘Linda’s Head’ closes with the breath-taking Canyon, a song set deep in its simple bassline with a swooping vocal chorale echoing around the walls. The rich harmonies sing out while the sombre glow of church organ and dramatic tympanic comments add wonder before merging into an extended drone. It’s a conclusion which confirms that ‘Linda’s Head’ revolves around much more than sonic nostalgia. Here is an album with a gradually tightening emotional grip which is unlikely to slip away from the memory.
Get your copy of ‘Linda’s Head‘ by Grouper from your local record store or direct from Kranky Records HERE
