New Giddy-Up, Helicopter! reviewed

February 23rd, 2009 by Eric Snider in Reviews


Giddy-Up, Helicopter!: Something that Needs Nothing

A surprising warmth pervades Giddy-Up, Helicopter!’s new CD —
surprising in light of the quintet’s propensity for shoegaze and
general outward aloofness, in light of a vocal approach that favors a
matter-of-fact delivery over emoting. “Tiny Moon,” five tracks in,
brushes closest to warm ‘n’ fuzzy with its loping rhythm, luxuriant
melody and the cozy vocal interplay of male singer Conner and female
counterpart Nikki. Then a crescendo — built around a soaring vocal
chant and swell of instruments — that’ll raise the hairs on your neck.

Something that Needs Nothing becomes even more gregarious
with the ensuing “Cub Jr.,” an uptempo track that rises and falls in
intensity, but never stops climbing toward a climax. “Bones” veers into
Brit-style dream-pop, with drummer Ryann lending propulsion and bassist
M To The D letting her fingers loose during an instrumental break.
Longtime fans of the Tampa Bay band shouldn’t fret, though. While
GUH! has embraced some pop and art-rock elements, they haven’t
abandoned their stock-in-trade of droning, hypnotic sequences.
The music’s most beguiling aspect is the layered guitar arrangements
imagined and executed by Conner and Nikki: intertwined parts that meld
ringing long tones with cascading arpeggios, echo-drenched chords,
blasts of fuzz and Edge-esque flourishes. One of the band’s signature
conceits is to pull back on the reins, delve into a thoughtful, even
pensive, guitar interlude, and then re-marshal the energy, gradually
revving back into the song structure. These sequences can be
considerably more interesting than standard-issue guitar solos.
Something that Needs Nothing does occasionally lapse into
numbing repetitiveness, and sometimes the band’s overall remove can
come off as just a tad precious, but in the end this 11-song set shows
maturity, growth and, probably best of all, artistic ambition.
A tip: Turn it up. Some of the nuance gets lost at lower volumes. (It’s Not a Monster Records, myspace.com/giddyuphelicopter)
—Eric Snider