Helvetia - Dromomania (Deluxe Version) (2015)

From NE Portland, via Seattle, and San Jose, hails the guitar-centric, weirdo pop outfit Helvetia. From the ocean to endless brown hills and then the very green trees, comes a music that evokes the simplicity of 70's Kinks with a good dose of Captain Beefheart and the randomness of The Residents. Third-wave hardcore influences (see "The Rubber Maids") morph into Neu-like trance-rock. Meat Puppets and Elevator to Hell assemble to make little baby spiders ("Bermuda" and "Radio Shower"). These are the likes that crawl through Helvetia's dense forestry. Albertini's voice is lulling and dry, in tone and manner, with a story to be told. It's up to the listener to piece the content together. Dromomania is a condition of wandering with no notice of intent or memory of travel - a dissociative fugue. Where, wherever, instant creations are forgotten and re-created with only a muscle memory of awareness. Before getting too comfortable, suddenly you're in a different place with different sets of ideals. And in between, the holes between the holes, no one can really forget or remember. Helvetia consists of guitarists Jason Albertini and Jim Roth (both recent additions to Built To Spill), Zeke Howard (Love As Laughter) on drums, Samantha Stidham on bass guitar, and Canaan Dove Amber (Duster) on noise machines and percussion.