Helvetia “Gladness 2001-2006 - Vol. 1-2”
From the melodic mind and atmospheric archives of the multi-instrumentalist Jason Albertini, formerly of Duster fame and Built To Spill, comes the two-decade-long project known as the super Helvetia (pronounced “hel-vee-shuh") that began its mythically sonic journey in sound and texture during a much simpler time and place in music as a whole. Ranging from the multi-disciplinary methods of conjuring the familiar rhythms and rituals found in the fibers of Duster and its dynamical discography, naturally, Helvetia takes the nocturnal narrative even further by demonstrating a more strung-out folk approach that effortlessly encapsulates the aromas and alchemy of Albertini’s incredible ability to cast into the endless universe of poetic possibilities. While Duster’s eternal fascination has only grown and esoterically expanded over the years, so has the hemisphere of Helvetia and its ongoing process and approach of harvesting harmony while simultaneously sowing the sonic seeds of prolific plants to rise from the dysfunctional dirt, stretching their eatable limbs towards the sky like sharpened swords of great reflection and cosmic control. It should be taken seriously as these glimpses into a biblical bedroom of creativity, prolific pondering, and melodic mortality are simply from the fuming forests of a foundational faucet of fluidity that can not be stopped no matter the chaotic conditions of the world and the people in it. There’s always salvation and inner peace in music; you have to locate it and plant your roots deep in its static soil. That’s the easy part.
Spiraling into the solar system like some boisterous beast of emotional machinery, Albertini breaks down the retro relationship between structure and form by eagerly enlightening listeners to listen to the ultimate cargo drop off of extraterrestrial evidence found in the deep dark dungeons of space’s cold and volumeless vacuum. Blending the bountiful brilliance of spacious serenading, long drawls, and polished pulls from the cosmic chambers of the almighty analog, both volumes predict the population’s perspective by delivering a whopping fifty-plus track collection of unhinged ultimateness that’s been laying dormant until their official releases into the world in 2010 and most recently in 2022. The overall seance summoned by the band is both cryptically fantastic, as it pours and drips into the drone rooms of the mind while violently vibrating listeners and nearby creatures of the night into a deep, peaceful sleep that’s closer to death than it is the rejuvenating rest one seeks after a hard days work.
“Thanks for letting me lose my shit. I had a blast! I’ll be scrounging up dough to make some vinyl, but that is it. No more records, no more shows… If anyone wants to help me, let me know! Long live Helvetia.”
While eagerly sifting through the frolicking festivities of space traveling in an earth-bound impound, Helvetia enticingly invites their listeners to let go of the round railings surrounding the perfectly protected parameters and step out onto the dusty floors of a place so forbidden and sacred that even the sound of music can not escape it icey dimension of foraged force and nature. With originals as well as covers like "Hybrid Moments,” “I’ll Try,” “Hot Pink (Meat Brothers cover),” “A Circle Town,” “Northern Sky” and “Walking The Cow,” all keeping the melodic momentum of the album going at all costs through a jungle of juggernaut juxtaposition, “Gladness Vol.1-2:: 2001-2006” reveals the harmonious honesty that is often missing from the calculated core of song-writing in most genres across the board. While carrying a simplistic melody through its echoing hallways, something vigorously awaits that connection from chord to word and voice to song, and Albertini will always be there to make sure it is caught and released back out into the world with an even stronger connection to the community of the cosmos as it should be.
