Reviews and press for Heligoland's “Separate” 7” single, released in November 2001 by Steady Cam Records.
| Publication | Country/City | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Action Attack Helicopter | USA | 22/4/03 |
| Delusions of Adequacy | USA | 18/3/02 |
| The Laughing World Zine | Brisbane | |
| The Electric Newspaper | Sydney | 17/1/02 |
| hEARd online | Australia | 20/1/02 |
| Inpress | Melbourne | 28/2/02 |
Heligoland
Separate b/w Cabo de Gata [seven inch]
Steady Cam Records
This is a two song seven inch record from an Australian four-piece with a female lead singer. The A side, "Separate", is a blissful tune of mesmerizing vocals and wet, delicate guitar work. I love music like this. It's very surreal and calm, yet insightful. Unfortunately, the B side is pretty weak, as it's just the same tones and guitar work over and over ad nausea. It seems almost more like an uncompleted work, something which hasn't quite been thought out, but with some more changes and vocals it could be just as good as "Separate". Not a bad start, though. That A side is really stellar and helps to make up for much of the loss on the B side. - Kurt Morris
Australia's Heligoland play lovely music. It's clear that these folks have been playing together for quite some time, even if it has only been a year officially. The music here is tight, precise, and dreamy. With unique male vocals that soar, plenty of spacey effects, and a core of soft guitars and drums, the band has created a record of delicate yet passionate music.
"Separate" opens the record with very dreamy, effect-laden guitar that seems to be floating off around you. This is the kind of music headphones were made for, as it has an enveloping feel. But much more than just dreamy effects, the song shines because of some wonderful Mojave 3-ish acoustic guitar and the unique vocals. It's virtually impossible to understand the lyrics because of the layers of sound here, but it's not important. The mix of instrumentation keeps it from receding to slow-core territory, and the rich layering effect gives it a much deeper, resonating feel. And then it just fades away with a few guitar strums, and I can't help but wish it went on for another 10 minutes.
"Cabo de Gata" is almost an instrumental. Focused around repetitive guitar strumming and light, almost brushed drums over a thick, deep bass line, the repetition gives it a flowing and ebbing quality. Again, the band uses effects to give the whole song a very rich, atmospheric feel. When the vocals come in, they're practically the sound of angels, soft and lush and flowing almost wordlessly overtop the music.
I don't know what else to say about this wonderful Australian band. Their music is passionate and lovely, intense in a kind of rich, powerful way yet still soft and lovely. And with beautiful packaging, this is definitely a release to treasure.
- Jeff, 3/18/02
This is a 7" record and I am a sucker for records, so this is off to a good start already. The vocals are so hard to explain but kind of comforting however that works. As for the record, if your into comparisons, on both the A and B sides the music has similarities to Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and as such this is a VERY nice mellow record; one of those ones you would like to listen to after a shitty day at work. Normally I have to listen to music a few times to like it but I love this, oh god it is pretty. Check this band out.
Reviewed by Gwen.
Heligoland - Separate/Cabo de Gata (7") - Steadycam Records
Rating 71%
Hailing from Melbourne, Heligoland released a beautifully packaged but incredibly derivative EP in 2000. In 2001, they got a hell of a lot better. This seven inch is the first fruits of their year really learning how to deliver something original.
Whilst still owing a certain debt of gratitude to Mazzy Star, "Separate" finds the band adding strings to their sound, strengthening the emotion of the sound. "Cabo de Gata", which is reportedly a monster of a track, is also a stunning piece, with Karen Vogt's voice in fine form.
It's going to be interesting to see where Heligoland go from here. Their sound is developing a real warmth to it, and the strings that are added onto "Separate" are particularly affecting. It's going to be interesting to see where they take their sound from here. They can either really space it out and slow it down or simply make it more instantly palatable. I hope they go for the former, because that could be really interesting.
Heligoland
Nearly a year on from the last release the band sent for review & this one is just as amazing as that one was, this 2 track arriving in format on, of all things, vinyl, which is a real pleasure to check out these days. The sound has evolved little, but that certainly doesn't matter, as they're just about perfect the way they are.
The A-side here is a wonderful brooding piece that reminds me a lot of The Dirty Three with vocals & vocalist Karen Vogt should be justly proud of her performance here. The B-side is just as stunning, called "Cabo de Gata" & its here that the band really get stuck in, with a more 'vibey" feel & an insistent guitar strumming with very little in the way of vocals, but what's there really sits you back & makes you want to listen very carefully. No other word to describe it - wonderful.
Heligoland Separate/Cabo de Gata
Steadycam Records
A mighty tasty little two track 7" vinyl release from this local outfit who, though certainly not prolific, is consistent in the great quality of the material it releases. Gentle and comely with a slightly sinister edge, Heligoland deliver their own version of Morricone's desert west spaciousness, especially on the predominantly instrumental Cabo de Gata. Separate offers a floating vocal melody over the windswept guitars.
Martin Jones.