5.05.2007

Helvetia

Helvetia (pronounced Hel-wait-zia) are an excellent rock band from the Pacific Northwest. I first had the pleasure of hearing them as openers for Built to Spill and Camper van Beethoven at the 930 Club back in the fall, an excellent show which is available as a stream via NPR here, although Helvetia's set is absent. They sound a little bit like Built to Spill, especially on their older material, but equally as much like some other things I haven't quite pinned down yet.

Their great misfortune is that their former label, The Static Cult, effectively folded. The label's site says that all future releases will be limited editions, which would put a damper on any band trying to actually, you know, succeed. Right now it appears they are working with Up Records, which isn't a bad place to be, given that label's historic ties to Built to Spill and numerous other great bands.

One of the other great reasons it seemed time to do a post on them is that I can provide you with a whole bunch of music without having to upload any. Their MySpace has four tracks from the forthcoming The Acrobats, all downloadable. You can also get a couple of older tracks here. Give it a listen.

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