Helioscope

Description

Theres much to be said for the significance of a name. A picture might well paint a thousand words, but chances are theyll always be prefixed by whatever the artist has chosen to call their latest work. The same is true of albums, records, a bunch of tracks in a shuffle-ready sequence (hi, iPod users). And by calling their second studio long-player Helioscope, Leeds-based five-piece Vessels have dropped a hint as to its content. Recorded with Grammy-nominated producer John Congleton (Explosions in the Sky, This Will Destroy You, Modest Mouse) in the heat of the Texan summer, these nine tracks are the sun-scorched yin to the yang of the snow-capped peaks of Vessels debut of 2008, White Fields & Open Devices. Where its predecessor was a studied exercise in structure which played many a post-rock trump card, this collection sings with a newfound freeness and looseness. Thats not to say these arrangements are rough-of-edge, or shabby of design. Far from it: these motifs and melodies are cunningly crafted, burrowing deep into the synapses with little resistance; riffs and rhythms tap into some innate appreciation of music both intuitive and intellectual. The build-and-break dynamics executed effortlessly on White Fields are present, again but complemented by a greater appreciation of technology, of the possibilities afforded by the modern recording process. Beats and loops arent restricted to the margins, instead as vital to the mix as anything deemed organic. It rocks, Helioscope, sure. But only those with two left feet and tinnitus couldnt dance to many of its cuts, too. And thats the point. While their debut was a feeler, a toe in the water, this is a dive into the deep end. Nothing off limits. All ideas welcomed. Happy accidents present and correct, not that anyone but those responsible for them would notice. If its opening moments punish, fear not for when the dazzling thunder of Monoform and The Trap has dissipated), the band looks to the clear skies and points towards the stars for Recur. Yes, those are vocals. No, Vessels arent a purely instrumental proposition. And youre right, it works really rather well, doesnt it? As Tom Evans and Lee Malcolm trade lyrics, guitars chime with a celestial resonance. Art/Choke is the heaviest track to date by the band, with Martin Teffs enormous bass tearing over Tim Mitchells cross-rhythms. Guest Stuart Warwicks (formerly known as Jacobs Stories) haunting lead vocal on first single Meatman, Piano Tuner, Prostitute takes the band closer to a composition which could be called mainstream but with a title like that, its obvious that crossover isnt the clearest vision in their crystal ball. And theyre all the better for it, Vessels. Helioscope is an album that sings with singular tone, which imprints itself like bleached-out blurs on the retinas of those who cant quit looking up. Rightly so looking down is cold, dark, miserable. So whats in a name? Here, heat and passion, as perfectly realised as the light that guides us all come every dawn.