Reviews and press for Heligoland's first album ‘Shift these thoughts’, released in July 2003 by Big Rig Records. More reviews to be added to this page soon for the Italian publications Rumore, Il Mucchio Salvaggio, Rockerilla and Blow Op.
| Publication | Country/City | Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Wire | U.K. | 03/04 |
| The Morning News | USA | 14/7/04 |
| Miuzik | Italy | 6/10/04 |
| derives.net | France | 1/11/04 |
| grandrock.net | France | 13/2/04 |
| undertoner.dk | Denmark | 16/2/04 |
| Kronik | Italy | 30/4/004 |
| Autres Directions | France | 04/04 |
| The Big Takeover | USA | Issue 53 |
| Delusions of Adequacy | USA | 10/11/03 |
| Rockus | Perth | 11/03 |
| The Electric Newspaper | Sydney | 10/03 |
| Ozmusicproject | Sydney | 09/03 |
| The Buzz | Melbourne | 08/03 |
| Readings Books & Music | Melbourne | 08/03 |
| Luna Kafé | Norway | 12/8/03 |
Heligoland
Shift These Thoughts
BIG RIG BRR07 CD
Melbourne's Heligoland combine the emotive ethereality of The Cocteau Twins with the stark balladry of Low. Karen Vogt’s voice can rise from the vaguest smudge of a husky blues tone to a fragile flutter. Her whispered intonation sometimes threatens to crack on the extended notes but this lends Heligoland’s songs an otherworldliness which contrasts vividly with the more airy passages of chiming guitars and languorous reverberation. Sometimes the combination of floating music and hushed vocals borders on the insubstantial but the group have enough poise to get away with it, and as they stretch out musically on the extended acoustic reverie of "Cabo De Gata", it's a vivid reminder that there's more to them than just mood.
Tom Ridge
Album of the Week: Heligoland, Shift These Thoughts
If you are one of the people who can imagine music that’s a precise combination of His Name is Alive, the Cocteau Twins, and It’ll End in Tears-era This Mortal Coil, then there’s a good chance you have a 1993 Vaughan Oliver calendar on your bedroom wall and that Heligoland’s Shift These Thoughts is the album you’ve been waiting for for 11-odd years.
If you’re not one of these people, you’re in for a treat.
The Melbourne-based Heligoland makes music that’s awash in emotion. Karen Vogt’s striking, ascending vocals glide above the band’s dramatic, yet simple guitar-drums-bass combo. The band works within a limited range of style—and it’s beautiful music that’s the goal here. Use of effects is subtle and often spare. Songs glitter about in your mind, the songwriting more concerned with exploration and mood than forward motion and development.
And though this is a fine arrangement that reaches lofty results, it is when the two intentions come together, on the track "Flat Four", that Heligoland produces what is perhaps the most beautiful song by anybody so far this year. A strong key change, an extraordinarily simple break in mood and rhythm that swells your heart with splendor and clarity. That they’ve done it with such grace and aplomb is mind-blowing.
It’s that powerful.
Heligoland - Shift These Thoughts - CD
Australaini di Melbourne, gli Heligoland realizzano il loro primo full-length dopo un e.p. omonimo del 2000 e due 7","Separate/Cabo De Gata" e "Along The Snowline/Herringbone", rispettivamente del 2002 e del 2003
(entrambe le tracce presenti sui lati B dei sette pollici sono qui riproposte).
"Shift These Thoughts" è uno di quei dischi che non passano inosservati. Forte nell'esibire melodie a 'cuore aperto' di una bellezza rara,come passaggi armoniosi che rivelano una sensibilità sopraffina.
Fascinose pulsazioni oniriche che rimandano all'impalpabilità dei Cocteau Twins ("Nowhere And Now"), vengono affiancate da lancinanti e taglienti ipnosi dalle tinte fosche ("Herringbone", stilisticamente vicina ai Clear Horizon di David Pearce e Jessica Bailiff); tra circolarità strumentali ("Farewells, Promises") e tensioni crepuscolari("Cabo De Gata").
Incantevole nel dispensare dolci e vibranti sensazioni celestiali è Karen Vogt,magnifica ed evocativa come Margo Timmins (Cowboy Junkies) ed Elizabeth Frazer.
Rating: 4/5
Massimiliano Drommi
Heligoland - Shift these thoughts
J’éprouve une certaine fascination pour le slowcore et le post-rock australiens, de Art of Fighting à Purplene, de Sea Life Park à Deloris, de Seascapes of the Interior à Seaworthy, de Minor Ache aux Rebel Astronauts. Je n’étais donc pas passé à côté de Heligoland dont quelques mp3s avaient éveillé mon attention.
Parallèlement à ça, je garde une passion intacte pour une certaine période du label 4AD, qui nous a offert les disques des Cocteau Twins, de This Mortal Coil, Dif Juz, Pale Saints et par extension ceux de Durutti Column, Piano Magic, Low ou d’une foule d’assimilés. Heligoland s’inscrit dans cette lignée.
C’est donc aux deux tiers déjà convaincu que j’entame l’écoute de ce premier album du quatuor de Melbourne, composé de Karen Vogt (chant / guitare), Cameron Gellatly (guitare / batterie), Steve Wheeler (basse) et Daniel Sujica (batterie), formé en 1999. Des autres formations australiennes, c’est de Sea Life Park que ce groupe se rapproche le plus, les deux chanteuses ayant un timbre de voix et un léger accent chaleureux assez proche. La différence entre les deux est que Heligoland privilégie des compositions éthérées et ne peut être qualifié de slowcore, cheval de bataille de Sea Life Park, plutôt de dreampop.
‘Shift those thoughts’ est un disque éthéré assez fort centré sur le chant de Karen qui semble sortir en droite ligne de l’esthétique 4AD de la fin des années 80. Tout ceci est à la fois la force et la faiblesse du groupe. Chaque titre pris séparément est relativement efficient et nous gagne assez facilement à sa cause. Cependant d’un morceau à l’autre la méthode se répète, inchangée, ce qui conduit à une certaine lassitude et à un sentiment de surplace. Beau, mais statique. Passé un premier morceau Heligoland ne surprend plus, le charme est dès lors convenu, les surprises garanties absentes, l’éther se traduit par des couleurs pâles, au milieu desquelles on perd peu à peu conscience.
C’est un album entièrement dédié à une contemplation des même paysages, la dimension cinématique semble absente ; il manque à Heligoland certaines des qualités dont témoignent des groupes comme Movietone ou Coastal, ne serait-ce que pour gagner un succès critique inconditionnel.
C’est à contre-cœur que l’on fait ces reproches à Heligoland, les ambiances et les textures ne font pas défaut. Là où ça coince, c’est bel est bien dans la linéarité, la répétition à l’infini et l’absence de surprise des structures. Il en va donc de Heligoland comme d’autres formations rencontrées récemment en ces pages, Surrounded ou Seekonk, beaux, racés, mais en fin de compte aucunement interloquant et dès lors inévitablement ennuyeux.
Didier
Heligoland
Shift these thoughts
(Big Rig Records)
L'Australie, en plus d'être une terre immense pleine de contrées sauvages est une île. Isolée, elle trône à la pointe australe du monde habité, et c'est ainsi qu'il nous est demandé d'appréhender la musique quasi mystique de Heligoland, en gardant à l'esprit que ces gens-là ne vivent pas comme nous...
Karen Vogt chante donc, une sorte de sirène qui à elle seule porte la teneur sensible de ces 10 chansons, un fil d'Ariane ténu et vaporeux, une douceur délectable bien qu'un peu triste. C'est d'autant plus vrai que l'on soupire en écoutant "Jasper Come Home", et l'on soumet au vote la filiation avec le dernier album de Beth Gibbons, à la new wave des années 80, à This Mortal Coil et à His Name Is Alive pour le côté fantomatique.
Le groupe originaire de Melbourne existe depuis 1998, a pondu quelques ep avant ce premier album (et toujours en vinyl !) et revendique ce son perdu de l'ère post-punk, que l'on retrouvera plus tard dans les productions du mythique label 4AD de Ivo Watts. Musique pas forcément complexe ni compliquée à jouer, mais aux atmosphères changeantes et multiples, comme un ciel nuageux sous le vent.
Alors pour le souvenir, pour le son légendaire et pour la mélancolie...
Le site sans kangourou.
Pablo
Heligoland: Shift These Thoughts
Af Rasmus Bang Petersen
Placér Beth Gibbons i Mazzy Star, bland hende op med lidt Do Make Say Think og tilsæt dernæst vibrationerne fra både Puressence og Windy & Carl. Så ender du formentlig med et udtryk... der på ingen måde minder om Heligoland. Ikke desto mindre er det vidtfavnende referencer som disse, der bedst giver et fingerpeg om de forskellige indtryk, Shift These Thoughts giver. Dette til trods for at det er en plade med så stor homogenitet, at det i sig selv nærmest gør den unik. Sjældent har jeg hørt så enslydende en udgivelse, hvor selv en lytteperiode på flere uger ikke for alvor sætter én i stand til at skelne numrene fra hinanden.
Det bemærkelsesværdige ved dette album er dog, at sangene faktisk ikke minder om hinanden, men tværtimod rent strukturelt spænder over flere forskellige genrer. Man forledes blot af den altovervældende atmosfære, der sænker sig over pladen og fuldstændig indhyller den i æterisk vellyd. Mest markant udtrykkes dette gennem Karen Vogts flygtige, nærmest overjordiske stemme, der smelter sammen med musikken på fineste vis og alligevel befinder sig helt oppe på overfladen af det hav, Heligoland flyder rundt i.
På sin vis er det meget passende for dette Melbourne-band, opkaldt efter en fjern ø ud for den dansk-tyske kyst, at de nu har sendt deres musik tilbage tværs over kloden, for selv om den emmer af toner fra de fjerneste afkroge af universet, befinder den sig på sælsomste vis alligevel ufatteligt tæt på lytteren. Det er næsten magisk – og dog. Et eller andet forhindrer en del af albummet i at bide sig fast og påvirke én som andet end rar sovemusik. Måske er det simpelthen fordi, at der er tale om regulære sange, og at disse ikke formår at sætte afgørende spor, men blot driver forbi i lidt for indadvendte spiraler.
Spejder man efter særpræg undervejs, er det først og fremmest kendetegnende, at musikken taber sangstruktur og bliver mere repeterende, som pladen skrider frem. Samtidig er det her, nogle af de bedste momenter ligger, og fremhæves skal især Cabo De Gata, der er albummets hurtigste og mest postrockede nummer. Her går alt op i en højere enhed, og musikken druknes ikke af delay/reverb-pedaler, som den ellers kan have tendens til. Derudover er det glimrende åbningsnummer Hobson’s Choice rent faktisk iørefaldende i en sådan grad, at man ligefrem kan synge med på omkvædet. På mindst lige så fortræffelig vis præsenterer Heligoland os dog for tyst skønhed i den Beth Gibbons-agtige What Was It Worth?, og at selv drone-aspekter implementeres problemløst i flere sange vidner om en stor selvsikkerhed hos australierne.
Som helhed er der tale om en markant debutplade, som i nogle lytteres ører dog nok vil synes at lide under, at de enkelte numres karakteristika er så svære at huske. Hvis kompositionerne fremstod stærkere og ikke spillede andenviolin for atmosfæren, ville gruppen formentlig ramme bredere. Men Shift These Thoughts er i udpræget grad en natteplade, og som sådan fungerer den perfekt til formålet. “Almost hard to describe, no hooks to hang any comments on, it’s just pretty and ethereal,” skrev en anmelder. Heldigvis leverer Heligoland varen med en usædvanlig modenhed og sikrer dermed, at de sjældent bliver kedelige og i stedet skaber deres helt egen niche – et sted imellem stemning og musik.
Karakter: 4/6
HELIGOLAND
Shift These Thoughts
Big Rig Records
Quei battiti rarefatti...
E’ ormai una piacevole abitudine che dall’Australia escano, almeno un paio di volte all’anno, gruppi particolarmente interessanti. Nell’occasione è il turno degli Heligoland, quartetto capitanato da Karen Vogt vicino ad atmosfere slow core schizzate da saltuarie ventate di lontana origine indie-pop.
L’intimismo è il marchio di fabbrica di un album in cui l’approccio emozionale è volutamente dilatato e circolare. La voce di Karen, accogliente nella sua malinconia, scorre fra trame strumentali figlie dell’Alan Sparhawk sì più accessibile, ma non per questo meno legato al concetto di impotenza esistenziale. Si tratta di canzoni, ma sempre prolungate e rarefatte, caratterizzate da accompagnamenti chitarristici destinati talvolta a leggeri crescendo, dove la deflagrazione non è tanto violenza sonora quanto impeto per le corde dell’animo. Ossessione e romanticismo in cui, seppur a debita distanza, si possono intravedere ricordi prossimi agli Slowdive e ai L’Altra, all’interno di una ricerca sonora già percorsa da molti, ma che può sempre ritagliare attimi d’indimenticabile commozione.
Va detto che questo non avviene sempre, soprattutto per una ripetitività insita nel genere che solo l’esperienza (non privata, però, dell’ingenuità originaria) può far evitare. Ciò nonostante brani come “Flat Four” (splendido), “What Was It Worth?” e “Cabo De Gata” mostrano un incanto difficilmente rintracciabile in tanti contemporanei. Se le premesse sono queste il futuro non potrà che deliziare.
3.5 / 5
di Marco Delsoldato
Heligoland / Shift these throughts
[Big Rig Records/Import]
Dès les premières notes de Hobson's Choice qui inaugure le premier album des australiens, le ton est donné, l'ambiance plantée : la voix de Karen Vogt fait courir un frisson sur la peau, tandis que la guitare de Cameron Geratly tisse des entrelacs sans fond. Heligoland s'impose d'entrée de jeu dans la lignée de Mazzy Star et évoque les meilleurs passages des meilleurs groupes de la grande époque 4AD (soit probablement les premiers disques de Kristin Hersh en solo), aux antipodes donc des images véhiculées sur le rock australien. Avec une section rythmique remarquable pour sa discrétion et sa souplesse, la musique de Heligoland est vraiment venimeuse, envoûtante, passant tour à tour d'une chaleur torride et sensuelle au froid le plus glacial, juste par la force d'un trémolo plaintif ou d'un ascétisme hautain. On image donc Karen Vogt forcément très belle, en femme fatale, capable de nous séduire d'un simple sourire et de nous refroidir l'instant d'après d'un simple regard. Mais, sur la longueur de l'album, la magie s'estompe, la tension s'étiole, l'attention s'assoupit. Ainsi, si Heligoland avait osé un peu plus d'audace, de liberté, s'affranchissant de quelques figures tutélaires trop marquantes, il est fort à parier que ce disque serait parvenu bien plus facilement jusqu'ici. Espérons donc qu'après une aussi belle promesse, les australiens parviendront à se transcender pour nous faire chavirer complètement.
Denis
Heligoland
Shift these thoughts
(Big Rig Aus)
Australia's inviting Heligoland (not ex-Talk Talk/Catherine Wheel's Tim Friese-Greene's project of the same name) are more merchants of mood than crafters of conventional songs. This intriguing album is replete with escalating, spiraling soundscapes like angels on shoulders of a chorus of guitar players with reverb units in tow. The vocals of Karen Vogt are simply splendid; beautiful and haunting at once, and enmeshed within this hypnotic, profoundly moving music like clouds in an autumn sky. Enter here an awe-inspiring, sonic escapade that may take your breath away and assure you that you don't walk alone.
Paul Regelbrugge
Heligoland
Shift These Thoughts
Big Rig Records
Shift These Things, the debut longplayer form Melbourne, Australia's Heligoland, features some of the most satisfying subdued pop songs since Yo la Tengo's And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside Out. Easily filed away under that musty “slowcore” label, Heligoland's subtle charms help to distinguish them from confederate Low followers and Hope Sandoval devotees. And although they stick unflaggingly to one specific style - and a style that can swiftly become unceasingly dull at that - Heligoland's songs are good enough to stave off boredom and somnolence.
Heligoland possesses two primary strengths. The first and most noticeable strength is the soothing, atmospheric vocals of front-lady Karen Vogt. She sings like a calm breeze carefully caressing the tender nether-regions of some adorable young scamp. When she opens her mouth the future comes out, and it is a future that relaxes. Vocally, Vogt resembles Hope Sandoval, that lady from the Cowboy Junkies, and, on one unfortunate song, star of stage and screen Kathleen Turner. But her voice has that haunting, ethereal haze about it that can also be found in Ms. Sandoval's work in Mazzy Star, and this simultaneously beautiful and unsettling quality works fantastically on Shift These Things.
Beyond the vocals, Heligoland is more than capable of crafting disarming melodies and pleasing tunes for the enjoyment of all. Slightly spacey and glacially paced, Heligoland's take on folk, pop, and twangless country frequently exceeds the tempos stuck to by Low, but never gets as fast as, say, a U2 ballad. In fact, the fastest song on here, “Cabo de Gata,” is about as much of a rocker as any given Sarah McLachlan tune. But much of what is labeled “slowcore” comes across as formless, tuneless mush; it's the indie-rock lite-jazz, or aural wallpaper for the ringer-tee set. Unlike many of those groups, though, Heligoland writes songs, and good ones.
Although they rarely stray from the “slowcore” script, Heligoland acquit themselves with enough grace and aplomb to deserve and demand attention outside of the circle of that tiny niche. Shift These Things is a mature, assured, and confident debut by a highly competent and capable young band. If every band in Melbourne is this good, then perhaps we should all up and move to that fantastical land down below, where the sun never dies and everybody is drunk and beautiful.
- Garrett, 11/10/03
Heligoland
Shift These Thoughts
Big Rig
Review by Steph Edwardes
Rockus Rating: 7/10
The ability to produce music where vocals melt into the general sound to become another important instrumental element, rather than overpower the complexities, is a difficult one, but Heligoland master it with ease. 'Shift These Thoughts' encompasses this strength with a subtle intensity that demands every bit of attention. Frontwoman Karen Vogt's voice is flighty yet with an underlying strength that sounds pained, and it molds so well into the music that you'd almost believe you were listening to a purely instrumental band.
This album is a collection of 10 well crafted, simplistic tunes that never get dull thanks to their fundamental intricacies. The only downside to this perfection is that the recording never really strays much from its core backbone, and thus prevents it from becoming something brilliant. However, the elements are all there to be built on and it's a wonderful place to start.
Heligoland – Shift These Thoughts – Big Rig Records
Rating: 70%
Indebted to the likes of Mazzy Star and the Paradise Motel, there aren’t too many bands like Heligoland. Everything is about building atmosphere, and crafting gentle yet deceptively powerful songs. It’s all incredibly structured, and if you didn’t know better, you’d swear this was an album by an experienced band.
Instead, it’s a debut, and like all debuts, it has its frailties sitting right alongside its successes. So while everything is really quite beautifully put together, there’s a sense that – like a lot of indie bands – Heligoland take themselves just a touch too seriously, with every guitar passage or wafting bass line given serious thought. But, the thing is, there’s no denying the beauty in many of the songs.
Take “Jasper Come Home” as an example. It opens quietly, brushed drums and thoughtful guitar passages, before vocalist Karen Vogt drifts in, her ethereal vocals dominating the sound – as they should, when her voice is as pretty as it is here. But, just as the song begins to feel like it’s gathering pace, it drifts to a surprisingly rapid conclusion. Much of Shift These Thoughts is like that – just as you think it’s going in one direction, it goes in the complete opposite.
Whilst that makes for an intriguing listen, it also makes for a slightly disjointed one. As a debut album, there’s no doubt that it’s a very accomplished one – and it’s obviously had a lot of thought go into it, such is its structured nature. It’s quite a beautiful listen, but the band themselves perhaps ought to concentrate less on crafting impeccable music and incorporate some songs in there. At forty-seven minutes long, it’s quite a draining listen as it’s so focussed. But it’s a very impressive beginning.
Heligoland
Shift These Thoughts
Big Rig
After several understated releases over the last couple of years, Victoria atmospheric pop quartet Heligoland shine with their quiet achieving debut album "Shift These Thoughts". Subtle and absorbing, Heligoland manoeuvre through their songs with a delicate poise, tempered by softly constructed guitarwork and Karen Vogt's fragile, yet captivating vocals.
The tracks meander in-and-out of each other, almost with an connected unconscious tapestry that takes you as the listener through a subliminal emotive journey. The slow but steady buildup in "Cabo De Gata" is a highlight, as too is the slightly warmer timbre of "Jasper Comes Home". Many of the tracks have an understated quality whereby they simply meld in and get in under your skin.
A sublime debut album, Heligoland have tapped into a rich and ethereal sound that seems to tap into a sound that is akin to contemporaries such as Gersey and the now defunct Paradise Motel. Whilst "Shift These Thoughts" may be difficult for some to digest due to it's introspective nature, for those willing to spend the time to digest it in it's entirety, it's a journey that will reward vastly.
Jaz
Heligoland
Shift these Thoughts
Slowcore is hard to do well. You need a good, or at the very least, an effective voice, strong songs and good equipment. If any one of those elements are left out, you give yourself a tough task in keeping the audience's attention. Thankfully, Heligoland have the goods. Recalling other local dour-core merchants along the Arrosa, The Paradise Motel, Art of Fighting and Bluetile Lounge, lines, Heligoland are beautiful, ethereal, enchanting and wistful without being spineless, dainty or dreary. The band's sound is solid and grounded - the guitars never wail, instead relying on the ringing, bell-like chime of delay and reverb pedals, the bass never strays far from the root note, the drums and cymbals are played and not smashed - allowing the interesting melodies and upper-register voice of Karen Vogt to float around the sturdy basis provided. This record has lulled me into its orbit; before I knew it, it was my musical sustenance for the best part of a week (a tough position to hold in the life of a music reviewer and new-music obsessive). I'll let that stand alone as my testament to this great record.
***** 1/2 (Big Rig Records/MGM) Ben Gook
Heligoland/Shift these Thoughts
This beautiful Mebourne band's first album is a corker. Karen Vogt has an exquisite, yearning voice, keening from within a gossamer web of fragile guitar melodies, bass and soft percussion. The songs won't leave you in a hurry. A distinct identity, but admirers of Low, P.J. Harvey, Mazzy Star or Natalie Merchant will LOVE this. Recommended very highly indeed.
Richard Mohr
Heligoland
Shift These Thoughts
Big Rig Records
Superbly crafted debut album from Melbourne atmos-popsters Heligoland, formed in 1998 and following on from earlier single and EP releases. They've been able to step up (thank you US sports commentators) and deliver over the length of an album with an effortless, unhurried way of sustaining a mood throughout the ten tracks on Shift These Thoughts.
Winners for mine include the intricate n' fragile "Jasper Come Home", showcasing the beautifully breathy vocals of Karen Vogt, in many ways used as another "instrument" on several occasions to enhance the mood. The suspended drama of "Herringbone" and the insistent chime of "Cabo De Gata" being the other shining examples of gorgeousness, definitely the ones I've returned to most on this disc.
There are reminders here of the sparse, earthy & fantastic Melbourne duo Sunglass and perhaps they're mining similar stuff to that of UK bed sitters Mojave 3. Beautifully constructed, fragile pieces o' shimmer and echo - perfect for dust mote studies and sundayafternoonweightlessness.
Shift These Thoughts is one of several recent outstanding Australian releases of this ilk, another notable effort being "Storms Dressed as Stars" by Gersey. All display a firm grip of dynamics and abundant skills in the good ole' atmospheric twin jangle guitar attack. I'm reminded here also of the sorely missed, pulsing film noir of Melbourne's Paradise Motel.
Damn impressive in that Heligoland have allowed the album to wander n' meander whilst providing enough hooks without fear of sounding overly catchy - a major hole a lot of the more overtly "indie" crowd fall into and a main gripe o' mine - you gotta have some direction about ye to keep folks interested over the length of an album!
Enough of that - seek out and soak in the aching arching beauty that is Heligoland, this is true art to choke hearts
Brian Stradbrook