Make no bones about it, Black Helium's third album Um is unapologetically a psychedelic experience. Wrapped in a cover that could power a thousand lava lamps, it flies its freak flag proud.
However, this isn't the twee country garden variety psych nor the urban Lambeth Grove variety. Instead, Black Helium delivers something that is its own thing. This music is a hallucinatory soundtrack to wide open spaces, endless skies, ley lines, and standing stones.
It starts with "Another Heaven" packing a filthy riff from Stuart Grey it is backed by a thick bass and drum sound by Beck Harvey and Diogo Gomes. When the vocals arrive, they have a dream-like quality that unpins the music's power. I saw God continues with the theme of exploring both inner and outer (personal) space. The vocals, again, are more part of the overall texture than leading the song.
A blissed-out "Dungeon Head" is an intermission and is a gorgeous slice of mellowness. "Summer of Hair" has an almost Krautrock rhythm with added surf guitar.
It wraps up with the epic (in terms of length and content) and wonderfully bonkers “The Keys to Red Skeleton's House”. Black Helium pours every ounce of its creativity into this one. It packs many different vibes across 15 minutes, from riffing to bass-led grooves. Beck Harvey's vocals are seductive and draw you deeper into the song. It then opens up into an explosion of noise and rock-hard playing. It then drops back to blissed-out psych that features a solo that allows Grey to emphasize that less is more.
This album is all about the space between the notes. the things, unsaid are just as crucial to the tapestry of Black Helium's sound. These songs will be nothing short of stunning live and are a big step up musically and in ambition.
Black Helium has delivered an album that is both pure psych trip and hard rocking. A neat trick indeed. It will soundtrack your summer and is the perfect road trip material as you wind your way to the festival of your choice.
-Bobo Cohen
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