Helium Dirt Of Luck CD

THE DIRT OF LUCK, Helium's follow-up to its acclaimed EP PIRATE PRUDE, is Mary Timony's descent into the dark recesses of human emotion. From the opening track, "Pat's Trick," on which she sleepily sings "this one is scrawny and looks like me cause it's dirty and I'm so dirty too" over fuzzed-out '70s-style punk riffs, it's clear that this is by no means a comfortable, or even psychologically stable listen.

What makes the album compelling is Timony's marriage of the grimy and depraved to the supple and beautiful, and her consistent ability to keep both music and lyrics off kilter. On "Superball" she compares her emotional state to the children's toy, over a swirling, sinister dirge of guitar and theremin-sounding keyboard. Helium's melodies are beautiful, even when pierced with dissonant wails and willfully off-key vocals, imbuing the work with a dark psychosexual charge. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the spellbindingly twisted pop of "Silver Angel" with its spiraling melody descending into chaos. THE DIRT OF LUCK is beautifully contradictory, the perfect forum for Mary Timony's trio.

Recording information: Studio Red.

Helium: Mary Timony (vocals, guitar, piano, organ, keyboards, xylophone, bass, drums); Ash Bowie (guitar, piano, keyboards, bass); Shawn King Devlin (drums, percussion).

Personnel: Mary Timony (vocals, guitar, organ, keyboards, xylophone); Ash Bowie (guitar, keyboards); Shawn Devlin (drums, percussion).

Entertainment Weekly (3/17/95, p.90) - "...mesmerizing, mysterious, rebellious, and damn smart..." - Rating: B+
Alternative Press (5/95, p.61) - "...Guitarist/vocalist Mary Timony's approach to writing essentially comprises skewed songs with fragmented notions, torpedoed melody and a good, violent noise. Often, all at once; usually, when you least expect it....This band really is too good to wait for..."
Magnet (p.114) - "LUCK plays all the cards in Timony's deck and reveals the full extent of Gordon's influence on a new generation of riot grrrls."
Option (7-8/95, p.110) - "...An intelligent and unpredictable lyricist and composer, Timony gives, of all instruments, a xylophone its own space amid a wall of shimmering guitar..."
Melody Maker (6/10/95, p.37) - "...The instrumental interlude, `Comet No. 9,' is like some beautiful echo of Eno's ANOTHER GREEN WORLD. `Honeycomb' is a slice of misty blue melancholy that will never wear out its welcome. `Pat's Trick' is an unholy mix of Belly and Sidi Bou Said..."