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viewing 1 To 8 of 8 items
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UNSEENRE 002LP
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First time vinyl issue of Keith Kenniff's debut under his Goldmund moniker, Corduroy Road. Originally only released on CD in 2005 via John Twells's Type Recordings, this album of rare and unusual minimalist beauty. Multi-instrumentalist Keith Kenniff is a busy man. He has appeared as Helios on a number of acclaimed releases, including Deaf Center's Neon City EP (2004), and released a debut album Unomia on Merck Records which has appeared on many "Best Of 2004" lists. All this while studying at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, and playing drums, guitar or contributing production to a host of amazing musicians. As Goldmund, Kenniff has disregarded the electronic elements of his music almost entirely in favor of just a piano, a microphone, and occasionally a guitar. Corduroy Road is thirteen tracks of pure recording, the sound of the piano being opened and the feet on the pedals, the sound of fingers pressing lovingly onto the keys. This is a record of rare and unusual beauty, so shocking and yet unpretentious in its simplicity. When the guitar does emerge from beside the delicately touched piano, it serves as a balancing point for the record. Weaving in-and-out of the melodies, it adds another layer to what is already incredibly moving music. Corduroy Road is rooted in Kenniff's love of folk music from the American Civil War. You hear this directly from his rendition of Civil War-era classic "Marching Through Georgia", but the influence carries throughout the record. There is an unheard voice which propels each track through history, maybe the ghosts of dying soldiers whispering in a long-forgotten bar. Every haunting note drifts deep into the psyche and is lost in the ether of nostalgia. In this way it is a concept recording of sorts, it certainly has a narrative and has to be listened to in sequence. The story has clear themes; loss, history, friendship, camaraderie, forgiveness, and hope, all clearly marked out by musical segments. It is no surprise that Kenniff's passion for cinema shines through so strongly. It would be hard to draw comparisons to music so rooted in folk traditions, but the music evokes traces of Ryuichi Sakamoto, Mark Hollis, Keith Jarret, or even Eno's more piano based compositions. Includes download code.
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UNSEENRE 001LP
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First time vinyl issue of the debut album by Helios, Unomia, originally released in 2004. Keith Kenniff's debut album under his Helios moniker. Originally only released on CD in 2004 via Miami based Merck Records, this album of hazy ambient electronica is now presented as a vinyl edition for the first time. Includes download code.
All Music review by Joshua Glazer: "Those who mistake ambient music for an endless tapestry of unwavering atmosphere, pleasant yet indistinguishable, should be handed as an argument to the contrary this album by a recent signee to Merck's rapidly expanding roster. Through 13 tracks of inarguably pretty music, Keith Kenniff displays the musical equivalent of a genius screen actor, able to send a million moods and messages with the most subtle of facial gestures. The opening pair of songs, 'Velius' and 'Cullin Hill,' point to a blissful treat which sits on just the right side of new age symmetry (particularly given the former's live glistening piano treatment). But only eight beats into 'Nine Black Alps,' the sensation is irreversibly altered by a single, mournful bass note which rumbles like Hades against the bucolic tone that lead up to it. Unshackled, Kenniff continues to roam, drifting into circular beats on 'Two Mark' before wandering off into weightless asphyxiation on 'Samsara.' He even allows for the organic sound of faint acoustic guitar and piano to join his endless travels, giving a moment of real-world clarity at the eye of this hallucinogenic work. Few could get away with a singular ghostly voice transmission without implying a stretch for ideas, but by the time he reaches the song, 'Suns That Circling Go,' Kenniff is so recognized as an explorer that you cannot be surprised by where he may arrive next."
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UNSEEN 008LP
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Limited restock. LP version. Yume takes its title from the Japanese word for "dream" and delivers an otherworldly ambient-electronic hybrid that's cinematic in scope yet intimate in emotion. In making the album, composer and multi-instrumentalist Keith Kenniff (the sole artist behind Helios) has created a warm sonic tapestry from luminous guitar lines, elegant piano work, ingeniously-crafted rhythms, and lo-fi electronic elements. Though Kenniff's graceful maneuvering of mood and tone lends Yume a journey-like quality, the album offers pieces as captivatingly disparate as "Pearls" (which blends heavy beats and lilting piano melodies; cascading guitar riffs and airy atmospherics) and "Embrace" (which closes out the album with a glimmering expanse of sound). Built from both electronic experimentation and live instrumentation, Yume also constructs its richly-detailed textures by drawing from a repertoire of sound that ranges from toy tambourines to serendipitously-recorded environmental noises. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, Kenniff put out Helios's 2004 debut album Unomia while studying percussion at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Since then, he's released five more albums as Helios, in addition to collaborating with his wife Hollie Kenniff in the shoegaze-inspired pop duo Mint Julep and composing music for such clients as Paramount Pictures, Apple, Facebook, and Google. CD includes two extra tracks.
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UNSEEN 009CD
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On their second album, Broken Devotion, Portland-based duo Mint Julep instill their lush and gauzy, synth-centric brand of pop music with a raw and powerful emotionalism. The follow-up to their 2011 debut Save Your Season (VG 001CD) (praised as "melodically sophisticated and dreamy " by the NME), Broken Devotion came to life over the course of four years, with Mint Julep reaching an unprecedented level of lyrical precision while easing into more lavishly textured, intricately layered arrangements. Throughout Broken Devotion, multi-instrumentalist and producer Keith Kenniff (also known for his work as ambient indie-electronic act Helios) and his wife Hollie Kenniff (Mint Julep's vocalist and lyricist) explore the many bright and dark dimensions of love, a tension that's masterfully embodied on the album's title-track. Urgent yet ethereal, "Broken Devotion" blends driving rhythms and hazy guitar tones as Hollie's hypnotic vocal work achingly captures the unraveling of a romance. Lead single "White Hot Heart," meanwhile, emerges as an airy and shimmering, synth-laced number that's timeless in melody. Also featuring a gorgeously sprawling cover of When in Rome's late-'80s new wave hit "The Promise," Broken Devotion finds Mint Julep shifting from the frenetic energy of beat-driven tracks like "Incinerate" to the downtempo drama of songs like "Slow Spiral" with an uncommonly delicate grace.
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UNSEEN 008CD
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Yume takes its title from the Japanese word for "dream" and delivers an otherworldly ambient-electronic hybrid that's cinematic in scope yet intimate in emotion. In making the album, composer and multi-instrumentalist Keith Kenniff (the sole artist behind Helios) has created a warm sonic tapestry from luminous guitar lines, elegant piano work, ingeniously-crafted rhythms, and lo-fi electronic elements. Though Kenniff's graceful maneuvering of mood and tone lends Yume a journey-like quality, the album offers pieces as captivatingly disparate as "Pearls" (which blends heavy beats and lilting piano melodies; cascading guitar riffs and airy atmospherics) and "Embrace" (which closes out the album with a glimmering expanse of sound). Built from both electronic experimentation and live instrumentation, Yume also constructs its richly-detailed textures by drawing from a repertoire of sound that ranges from toy tambourines to serendipitously-recorded environmental noises. Raised in rural Pennsylvania, Kenniff put out Helios's 2004 debut album Unomia while studying percussion at Boston's Berklee College of Music. Since then, he's released five more albums as Helios, in addition to collaborating with his wife Hollie Kenniff in the shoegaze-inspired pop duo Mint Julep and composing music for such clients as Paramount Pictures, Apple, Facebook, and Google. CD includes two extra tracks.
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UNSEEN 006CD
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Unseen Music presents an album of exclusive, previously-unreleased remixes of tracks by ambient/electronic artist Keith Kenniff aka Helios (also records as Goldmund and with Mint Julep). In curating a remix album, Kenniff reached out to a handful of his fellow musicians who have been influential to him over the years. Instead of a remix album based on a particular release, the idea was for artists to choose any song from the Helios discography and interpret this in their own style. The result is a refreshingly cohesive album showcasing beautiful renditions by acclaimed composers such as Ulrich Schnauss (joined by Mark Peters of Engineers), Ben Boysen (aka Hecq), Hammock, Rhian Sheehan, Rafael Anton Irisarri, Arms And Sleepers, and his brother Colin Kenniff (who has toured alongside Keith as part of the Helios live band). Each musician's strength shines through the remixes, from Ben Boysen's hauntingly beautiful remix of "Every Hair On Your Head," to Hammock's signature brand of epic, reverb-laden guitars shimmering through their interpretation of "The Obesiant Vine." Ulrich Schnauss and Mark Peters' uplifting bouncy electronic remix of "Falling in Swirls" (a song Keith released on his website for free in 2002), and Arms And Sleepers' beautifully layered synths and percussion in "Hope Valley Hill" serve to add a wonderful dynamic lift to the album, while Rafael Anton Irissari's own brand of engaging soundscapes on "Hollie" envelop the listener in a sonic warm blanket. Rounding out the album are two beautiful and emotional remixes by award-winning New Zealand-based composer Rhian Sheehan, on the song "Halving the Compass," and Keith's brother Colin, creating a lush acoustic rendition of the song "First Dream Called Ocean."
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UNSEEN 002CD
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Since 2003, multi-instrumentalist and composer Keith Kenniff (aka Helios) has been a mainstay in the electronic music/IDM community with releases on influential labels such as Merck Records and Type Records as well as countless remixes and compilation appearances. His signature blending of electronics, ambience and found-sounds have garnered attention from some of the top music critics in the industry. Kenniff's cinematic soundscapes have also caught the ear of the film world both under Helios and his piano-based alter-ego Goldmund, with music appearing in feature films such as Mister Lonely by acclaimed director Harmony Korine, documentaries for the BBC and a trailer for the film Revolutionary Road. Each year, the Decibel Festival brings artists from all over the world to participate in several days of music taking place at various venues in Seattle, Washington. Shortly after the release of his album Caesura (TYPE 042CD/LP) in 2008, Helios was asked to perform at the ambient music showcase along with fellow artists Eluvium, Deaf Center and Brian McBride. Performing on this night as a venerable one-man-band, Helios' live set features Kenniff constantly switching off on instruments, looping keyboards, guitar, and playing live drums, often pulling double duty on two instruments at once. Live At The Triple Door compiles material heard on his past albums, Unomia, Eingya (TYPE 011CD/LP) and Caesura, as well as previously-unreleased material. Professionally recorded and re-mastered, this recording (originally released as a limited CD-R-only pressing) captures a rare and special night of Helios' music, with the sounds of nature swirling in and out of Kenniff's signature brand of soothing, sun-soaked ambient electronica reminiscent of artists such as Boards Of Canada, Sigur Rós and early Brian Eno.
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UNSEEN 001CD
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Since 2003, multi-instrumentalist and composer Keith Kenniff (aka Helios) has been a mainstay in the electronic music/IDM community with releases on influential labels such as Merck Records and Type Records as well as countless remixes and compilation appearances. His signature blending of electronics, ambience and found-sounds have garnered attention from some of the top music critics in the industry. Kenniff's cinematic soundscapes have also caught the ear of the film world both under Helios and his piano-based alter-ego Goldmund, with music appearing in feature films such as Mister Lonely by acclaimed director Harmony Korine, documentaries for the BBC and a trailer for the film Revolutionary Road. Following the release of the 2008 album, Caesura (TYPE 042CD/LP), on Type Records, Helios returns with Unleft, a collection of previously-unreleased material from his past four releases spanning almost a decade. Songs range in style from the Boards of Canada-influenced "Bounce Dive" to the slow-moving ambient drone of "The Jaguar Sun" to the earthy beats and quietly enveloping melodies of songs like "Carry With Us" that have become part of Helios' signature sound. As with his previous albums, Helios' music evokes a certain lost nostalgia from the listener; melancholic and contemplative yet hopeful as the sun's rays shine in through the clouds. Those already familiar with Keith's music will find familiar threads leading back to the previous four albums, while giving newcomers a good introduction to his prolific body of work.
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