Review
Helms Alee
Weatherhead

Apologies are in order, and before we even get into this, let me be perfectly frank; Helms Alee is a great and terribly underrated band that ensnared me the minute that I heard their 4 song EP, and when Weatherhead was announced, I could barely contain my excitement at hearing a second album from this three piece from the land of Nirvana. My initial experiences with the album assuaged any reservations about a possible “sophomore slump” from the dudettes and dude that make up this gnarly outfit and repeated plays just made me bounce my head and smile like a weirdo while the album played, but as I am sitting here now, remembering why it took so long to expound on this record both escapes and reminds me at the same time that it has proved to be a confounding experience putting into words exactly how I feel about Weatherhead.

OK, so “Elbow Grease” is one hell of a way to launch into the album (yeah yeah there is an intro track but still) and that bass… that bass sound will send shudders down your spine while the harmonized vocal tease that shows up is this best thing this side of Torche, and to be perfectly honest elements of this song pop up throughout the record while also not being the sole example of what you can expect on Weatherhead; the female vocals show up a bit more on the album, and in songs like “Music Box” and “Epic Adventure Through The Wood (Sucker Punch)”, they drip with a sweetness that will have you wishing that the women would do more vocals (even though there are times when you wish they would not have gone there) while Verellen’s bellow is both still so deep (and well, burly) and the perfect counterpoint to the female vocals. The great sounding bass guitar and solid drums drive or almost push the songs Weatherhead while the guitars drop some great leads into the songs or some pretty picking arrangements which altogether make for a kick ass heavy indie rock album, but by the point “Born In Fiberglass” hits your ears, you too will be thinking that Helms Alee might just be onto something new and exciting that could really turn some heads soon.

While this album is far from perfect (there are definitely parts that I wish I could cut out or never have heard), Weatherhead is a tour de force of burly bottom heavy rock that is tempered now and then by some of the coolest melodies that Helms Alee has produced to this point; and somehow Helms Alee has filled the record with a variety of different songs with drastically different timbres that still sound as though they belong side by side. I can think of a few kindred spirits for Helms Alee, but really, they have a sound that is all theirs; and if you miss out on this album that’s your fault because it is one hell of a fine listening experience.