H is for Helicoid 0222MB.
Helicoid were an all girl Osaka 3-piece that formed in 1997. Regulars at the venue-of-choice for Osaka's experimental underground Bears Live House, the band quickly caught the attention of venue owner and former Boredoms/Omoidehatoba Guitarist Yamamoto Seiichi. The band made a number of appearances on compilations curated by Yamamoto before releasing their first full length album on Yamamoto's own label Ummo records. The band released 2 more albums before seeming to cease activity sometime in 2004.
A fetishistic love of Psychedelia, Prog, Noise and Krautrock which is fairly typical of Osaka's typically untypical underground vanguard is given the bands own spin by fusing it with some heavy influences from the more contemporary Shibuya Kei movement. A sub-genre that sprang up primarily around Tokyo's Shibuya district around the mid-90`s and most closely associated with the sound of bands like Fishmans, Cibbo Matto and Supercar. As a result Helicoid's sound is pretty ecclectic and manages to balance tangential spacey tracks with more immediate catchy grooves.. The bands 2 follow up albums "Ele Shock" and "Flying Startlyzer" are also worth checking out if you enjoy this one. Although they all seem to be out of print so could be tricky to track down.
The awesomeness of this record is unimpeachable. Thanks for sharing it!
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