Heliopause

Heliopause EP Recorded & Mixed at Soggy Cabin Studios, Cork · paprapo · who ate the cabin boy · middle distance · maybe later · caught rotten It’s a brave band that goes purely instrumental. Charlie Don’t Surf are one Cork crowd who pretty well know what they’re doing and can pull it off with just the music alone. It remains to be seen whether Heliopause can get to the same point, without requiring the ‘lively antics of their bass player’ on stage. According to their press release, they’ve been together since 2005, meeting as students. In other words, they’re young and inexperienced. They’re learning. The laid back “maybe later” shows promise. It shows restrain and control which is not so evident in the earlier tracks. And “caught rotten” has depth to it that is refreshing. The opener “pamrapo” could do with an overhaul of the drum line as this could be a show piece for some tight, rhythmic percussion, which unfortunately at the moment is merely filler behind some not-that-interesting guitars. What’s needed here, I think, is some intensive study on behalf of the band in rhythmic and tonal intricacy. If you are dropping the lyric entirely, then the rest simply has to be wholly engaging. And, I’m sorry to say, aside from sparks in the last two tracks and the very beginning (and I mean VERY beginning) of “who ate the cabin boy”, this wasn’t. Having a great live show is good and is a rather excellent start but, unless you plan on selling solely on the basis of live DVDS, then the music has to carry without the visuals. There is promise here but Heliopause have chosen a difficult road. Music sans lyrics is a difficult market to corner as the audiences tend to be more demanding and the instruments must do so much more work. All I can suggest is that you get hold of some modern minimalist (e.g. Steve Reich) or African music (e.g. our own Niwel Tsumbu), and listen to the swirling kaleidoscope of sound and rhythm which is possible, listen to the glorious complexity of it all and, well, listen good. Heliopause: Brian Dunlea (Bass) Sean Daly (Guitar/Synth) Damien O’Leary (Guitar) Jamie O’Donoghue (Drums) www.myspace.com/heliopausecork