Helioself

Helioself
Studio album by
Papas Fritas
ReleasedApril 22, 1997
GenreIndie rock
Length35:01
LabelMinty Fresh[1]
ProducerPapas Fritas
Papas Fritas chronology
Papas Fritas
(1995) 		Helioself
(1997) 		Buildings and Grounds
(2000)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[2]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music[3]
Entertainment WeeklyA−[4]
MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide[5]
Uncut[6]

Helioself is the second album by Papas Fritas, released in 1997.[7][8] According to the band's website, "Helioself is the name of the mythical Sun-Ra sessions that were so powerful ... they were sealed away in a lost vault by request of the Ra himself because the world was not ready for such harmonic energy."[9]

Ivy covered Helioself's third track, "Say Goodbye," on their 2002 album Guestroom.[10]

Production

The album was recorded at frontman Tony Goddess's home studio, in Gloucester, Massachusetts.[11]

Critical reception

MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide wrote that the album "catalogs a whole crateful of airy pop influences to create an organic, indie-pop masterpiece."[5] Trouser Press wrote that "it flows like a well- programmed jukebox: unified by a rustic disposition, the album’s stylistic diversity feels comfortably natural, the songs instantly familiar without being selfconscious or specifically derivative."[12] The Chicago Reader wrote that "the band's musical cataloging of its forebears can get annoying at times, but for the most part the sheer sunniness of the melodies diminishes these shortcomings."[13]

Track listing

All songs written by Papas Fritas (Shivika Asthana, Keith Gendel, and Tony Goddess).

  1. "Hey Hey You Say" – 3:14
  2. "We've Got All Night" – 3:04
  3. "Say Goodbye" – 4:04
  4. "Small Rooms" – 2:23
  5. "Rolling in the Sand" – 1:48
  6. "Live by the Water" – 2:45
  7. "Words to Sing" – 2:48
  8. "Sing About Me" – 2:28
  9. "Just to See You" – 3:54
  10. "Captain of the City" – 3:50
  11. "Weight" – 1:49
  12. "Starting to Be It" – 2:54

Personnel

  • Shivika Asthana: drums, vocals
  • Keith Gendel: bass, vocals
  • Tony Goddess: guitar, piano, vocals
  • Shivika Asthana, Maria Le Rossow: tapping ("Weight")
  • Bryan Hanna: additional percussion ("Hey Hey You Say," "Weight")

Production notes

Engineered by Bryan Hanna at the Columnated Ruins (Gloucester, Mass.). Mixed by Paul Q. Kolderie and Sean Slade at Fort Apache (Cambridge, Mass). Mastered by Roger Siebel at SAE (Phoenix, Ariz.). Protection by Michael Hafitz. Direction by Peter Leak for the New York End Ltd. Special thanks to Jim Powers and Anthony Musiala.

References

  1. ^ "Papas Fritas".
  2. ^ Erlewine, Stephen. Helioself at AllMusic. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  3. ^ Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. 6. MUZE. p. 403.
  4. ^ Romero, Michele (May 2, 1997). "Music Review: Helioself". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on April 21, 2009. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  5. ^ a b MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. 1999. p. 856.
  6. ^ McTaggart, Robert (October 1997). "Papas Fritas: Helioself". Uncut. No. 5. p. 78.
  7. ^ "Papas Fritas | Biography & History". AllMusic.
  8. ^ "Papas Fritas". NPR.org.
  9. ^ "Papas Fritas: Discography". Retrieved 2011-07-14.
  10. ^ Wilson, MacKenzie. "Guestroom review". Allmusic. Retrieved 2011-07-13.
  11. ^ "Reviews". CMJ New Music Monthly. CMJ Network, Inc. June 9, 1997 – via Google Books.
  12. ^ "Papas Fritas". Trouser Press. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  13. ^ Margasak, Peter. "Papas Fritas". Chicago Reader.