Helios is the moniker of Berklee College of Music student Keith Kenniff. His second album using the Helios name is called Eingya and its a beautifully atmospheric album that is hugely affecting despite its subtle nature. Eingya is a dreamy affair in which each track slowly builds as layers of instrumentation ebb and flow forth from the minimalist droning soundscapes beneath. It is a quiet album filled with layers upon layers of droning synths, hushed acoustic guitars, delicate piano melodies, pastoral field recordings, and sparse glitchy percussion that (ultimately) falls somewhere into the shimmering space between Boards of Canada and a mellow and more understated version of The Album Leaf.
I was listening Eingya a few nights ago as I was trying to fall asleep and found myself being pulled into the album as it enveloped me like a blanket. Like the aural equivalent of your faded scrapbook photos and tattered picture albums, it is emotionally engaging and has a certain resonance that makes it so much more than just a collection of Eno-esqe synths and fractured beats. If I categorized the best new music of 2006, this would be on the list. Eingya is out now on Type Records.
MP3 | Helios – For Years And Years Eingya
MP3 | Helios – Halving The Compass Eingya
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