Helios ~ Espera

Longtime Helios fans are in for a pleasant surprise, as Espera marks a return to the producer’s earlier, electronic-laced days.  In opener “Fainted Fog”, the warm haze of chill-out beats sends the listener back in time to a more innocent place (or at least the image of one).  Tape, piano and guitar remain faithful friends, and the entire project, whose title means wait, has a languid, unhurried feel.  A lovely shift at 3:42 returns the focus to the acoustic, and for the remainder of the set the two will dance around each other and – to quote the title of the following piece – intertwine.

While Espera refers to the patience of the composer, the title also applies to the listening experience and the dreams of the listener.  What is one waiting for?  By all indications, it’s something good that will need time to develop or emerge.  “Impossible Valleys,” one of the songs most akin to shoegaze, yields a multitude of meanings.  We quickly discard the thought that the valley itself is impossible: that it doesn’t exist, or is impossible to cross.  It’s more likely that the valley – portrayed on the cover – is like that of the 23rd Psalm, a peaceful, verdant place that can be reached in the imagination and perhaps one day in person, as all things are possible.  The early peace of acoustic guitar is like an invitation, the later shimmer of electric guitar like the fulfillment of a promise.  In a similar way, “Well Within” implies deep spiritual resources and the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul.”  A quiet loop introduces the piece, which rises and falls like hills and valleys.  Electronics are set against piano.  The drums momentarily cease.  Even when tape wobble surfaces, the melody continues.  The Big Moment arrives at 4:19: a jump to happiness, a well discovered, a valley reached.

With Espera, Keith Kenniff seems to have reached a different sort of peace as well.  While the artist has returned to “A Familiar Place,” he’s also continued on his own gentle path, accompanied by his wife Hollie, who appears on “Emeralds.”  When we make peace with our past, we no longer have to discard or deny it; instead, we can integrate its lessons and celebrate its beauty, as Helios has done here.  While peace is not something that can be rushed, this album suggests that it can be achieved.  (Richard Allen)