Phases and Stages
08/22/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Forget the Leaves, Autumn Will Change Us (Hooked on Sonics!) The latest bright hope to come streaking out of the Austin sky, Halley has put together a remarkable debut for Hooked on Sonics!, a local multimedia company also responsible for the sharp design of the album artwork and music videos. Opener "Adventures of George (Record Player Pt. 1)" is a bona fide attention-grabber, with its subdued groove that bursts into a strobe-light frenzy as a bombastic barrage of horns kicks in. Spoken-word samples and other strange sounds cut in and out of the mix as the infectious brass arrangement carries it to its conclusion. Then "Heart Attack on a One-Way Street" comes forward with a sugary sonic spazz-out. The frazzled stop-start attack and vocal mannerisms recall Mercury Rev's classic debut Yerself Is Steam in all its chaotic glory. This might be a damnation if Halley's cut didn't conjure up every bit of the overdriven psychocandied fun missing from the Rev repertoire of late. Then Halley drops some subtlety on us. "Movie Song -- Trailer Theme," a construction of laptop beats and piano, soars on the back of distorted whale-song screeches. Mellow moments that sound a bit too much like MercRev's Deserter's Songs are quickly redeemed by "As Cheap as Fake," on which a funereal vibe gives way to an angelic chorus and what sounds like harp strings. The grandiose 12-minute finale, "Kites Are Slow Downers," exudes a Sigur Ròs-like grandeur, with woozy vocals submerged beneath atmospheric layers that peel away in a voluminous landslide. A marvelous ending to a sparkling first outing."
Review from "The Morning News", September 19, 2002
Andrew Womack | NY | 11/28/2002
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Chris held up his hand and nodded toward the stereo. `This, this right here, this sounds exactly like...'`Like what?' I asked.`This part sounds exactly like `When The Levee Breaks.' The drums. The intro sounds exactly like John Bonham's intro.'He was right, of course. It was `Dreams Burn Down' by Ride, and even the first time I heard the song I thought, `Well this sounds exactly like `When The Levee Breaks' by Led Zeppelin.' But it didn't stop either one of us from listening to that Ride song pretty much every day. And with both of us completely loving that appropriated drum intro all summer.With that in mind, I can comfortably say that Halley sounds like Mercury Rev and Spiritualized: and equal parts of both. That's just aesthetically, however, since a lot of the territory Halley cover here hasn't been approached by either of those bands that everyone will say Forget The Leaves, Autumn Will Change Us sounds like.This debut effort from the Austin band is epic psychedelia in its purest vein, with sometimes brooding, and often wholly charged melodies. A range of moods - poppy, lazy, funerary, to name a few - bubbles up through the thick wash of instrumentation and distortion: vocals, guitar, percussion, strings, horns, and just about anything else they can set their hands on.When Halley become surer of themselves, when they trust their instincts enough to emerge from the shadow of their influences, they will truly be a musical force to be reckoned with.Until then, they've only put out a brilliant album. And that's more than most bands or their influences ever do."
Review from "Mundane Sounds"
Andrew Womack | NY | 11/28/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Wowie. Who knew that one of this year's records of the year would come this late in the game, would slip in so quietly, and would be utterly mindblowing? I sure didn't expect it. There are twelve brilliant moments on this album--they're the ones with song titles. See, Austin, Texas' Halley have mixed in some awesome influences-from Grandaddy to Mercury Rev to Slowdive to Godspeed You Black Emperor! to absolutely none of the above and have created a record that is truly their own sound. You've heard the sounds on Forget The Leaves, Autumn Will Change Us before--but then again, you haven't. Their music is very lush and soothing and pastoral and calming and atmospheric and soft and beautiful---and that's just during the loud parts! I could go on and on and on and on and on and on and on about Halley, but I think I'll tell you a little secret. I'll let you know the exact moment I fell in love with them. It's on the last song, the epic "Kites are Slow Downers." At exactly 7 minutes and 59 seconds into the song, after a loud buildup of guitar, drum, keyboards, trumpets, brass, and strings--the choir comes in, and you're ascending in to heaven. The song is an epic, heavenly, sonic recreation of the final battle of good vs. evil. As you listen, the battle has just taken place, and at that particular moment, you know who's just won, and the fight and conflict is over, the choir declared the winner, and the song fades into silence. After thirty seconds of quiet, you hear the conquering army returning to a heavenly home in the sky, and the orchestra plays the fanfare of the victorious conquerors, and heaven shines. Forget The Leaves, Autumn Will Change Us is a record that simply demands to be heard. I DEMAND that it be heard. And, I'm telling you, my friends, Halley--who know that spending TIME on your music means that your record will SOUND GOOD--are a band that aren't worth watching...they're a band worth EXPERIENCING. I could bust out with 5037 words for each song, but I'm not going to do so, because I wouldn't feel comfortable being so brief and dismissive of their music. Words really do fail, my friend--Halley are a band that you must hear to fully comprehend. You really should listen to Forget The Leaves, Autumn Will Change Us--and then you should listen to it again. And again. Listen with your ears, and let your soul hear it. You'll be glad that you did."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1