Static Noise Bird – [helixploitation] (Siro618)

Is [helixploitation] by a bird? A plane? A bird AND a plane, in a type of chimera hybrid thing? A man in a red cape with superpowers? No, it’s a bird, a certain Static Noise Bird in fact. But the album art shows a bee. Yes, I can see how this could get confusing… my apartment complex has been infested lately with wood bees. I sort of wish they’d leave us alone and go find a pretty flower to hover around instead, maybe like the one on the cover of this album.

Artist: Static Noise Bird
Title: [helixploitation]
Label: Sirona-Records
Cat#: Siro618
Keywords: Electronica, Drum & Bass, Breakbeat, Ambient
Reviewer: Alex Spalding

Welcome again to another review, and another fine day at the labyrinthine underground YIKIS headquarters! Today our scientists are still hard at work in their attempt to sculpt sound into words so that none of us will ever have to write a review again — the music will simply describe itself! And you won’t have to hear any of it anymore either, because the descriptions will be scientifically perfect and objective. Until they’ve gotten it finished and I’ve secretly stolen away to purchase the patent on this technology, you should be sure to hear Static Noise Bird’s [helixploitation] album with your own ears, see it with your own eyes, smell it with your own nostril/sinus/brain sensory input system! Here’s what I thought of it…

… it all begins with ‘Sensual Abduction (Snoop Dogg Cover)’. Supra-sensual pads lift us into the clouds on the back of a bee, or a bird… really nice synth melodies float around, followed by a nice smooth electronic breakbeat rhythm. I love the space and majesty of this track! Little touches of crushed rock guitar and epic trance sequences give the track an energetic feel, the autotuned vocals make it feel very modern. It’s a very well produced dance track with lots of atmospheric feels. I’m like Gohan flying around on the nimbus with Snoop, drinking gin and juice in the hood, collecting dragon balls.

Next track is ‘I Am The Mosaic’, which starts off with some very lush pads and a nice melodic/harmonic sequence. There’s a laserblast and some bass takes it up a notch. A drum n bass riddim approaches, gaining on us quick… I feel like I’m flying in lightspeed now, through canyons and clouds and waterfalls, all kinds of scenic stuff. The hyperbreaks get really intense and some lovely synth leads come in! I’m really enjoying myself on this track, it’s got such a great sound and is very professionally produced. Halfway through we’re dropped in a serene environment of pads and that lead, which I’ve been thinking this whole time sounded really familiar… my first thought was of maybe some old Ministry Of Sound single, and then I’m like, wait, is it Alice Deejay’s ‘Better Off Alone’ that I’m reminded of!? Hahaha, oh wow! I mean, I’ve had to go and listen just to be sure, and it’s not really the same lead, but it definitely registered as something familiar to me. Makes me laugh… I had somehow completely forgotten about that single, it’s been years since I last heard it. The drumbreak slowly grows again… these beats make you want to breakdance.

‘Soluppgång’ is next, giving us a more downtempo, rock drum with swirling, lovely electronics. It’s kind of like an uplifting style of music. There’s a drumroll and then the music swells and the drums become a little more fleshed out, thick. Music like this partly the sort of thing I think of when I hear the term “electronica”. Choirs are treated with a funky sequential filter. It’s got a progressive sound too, layers shifting, changing the groove of the piece. All of this music makes me think of flying… this time it’s through a field of lilacs. Like a real man. 😉

‘We Die In The Sunrays’ is a BMSR cover. Unexpectedly I hear acoustic guitar, and even more unexpectedly, I like it. Acoustic guitar is not my favourite instrument, though I find it tolerable in some few circumstances. It’s a nice melody, and then… *zoom-bah!* there’s a stylishly funky and technical rhythm that comes in with a lot of really awesome flourishes. I’m enjoying this track a lot right now, too.

Then it’s ‘Traveller’s Breath’ coming in with a high-pitched and rapid breakbeat and an icy bit of ambiance. Chill, trancy, with very nice vibes, all driven by the drum n bass breaks and heavy synth sequences. Gets really intense, with what you could describe as industrial breaks added in for a moment. Wow!!! I love how it goes from intense and danceable to absolutely hypnotic without warning.

‘Heathers’ is the last track, reminding me that it’s been a few years since I last watched the movie Heathers, which is one of my favourite films… I have a lot of favourite films, though. Wynona Ryder was one of my also numerous boyhood crushes. Downtempo breaks with what sounds like a digital bass line. A breathy and wonderful synth chord sequence comes in, so nice sounding I quickly forget what I’m doing and sit here not even writing anything until it disappears. The breaks are alone again for now, along with some eclectic electronic rhythmic clips. Then some tribal grooves come out over the top, followed by a shuffling drum pattern, a crash, and the return of those sweet synths.

So, yeah… this is one of those perfect pieces of music… it doesn’t feel too short, as while there aren’t a lot of tracks each of them are a proper length. The sounds are pleasing to the ears, many of the tracks are very danceable, and it’s an absolute joy to listen to. Yes. That is the answer to the question in your head right now, of whether or not you should download this. I will give you a link, too:

http://archive.org/details/siro618StaticNoiseBird-helixploitation