Helios
Espera (beryl)
Beryl colored vinyl. On 2018's 'Veriditas', the first Helios LP on Ghostly International, found Keith Kenniff shaping verdant landscapes of harmonic sound, focusing on texture over structure. He followed it up in 2020 with 'Domicile', an even quieter synth-toned ode to the indoors. Now he returns to the electro-acoustic movement that marked much of his earlier output; the music of 'Espera' is lush, livelier, and perhaps the most singular in his run. Titles are telling in Kenniff's work, and 'Espera', a Spanish word meaning "wait", speaks to the producer's patient and cinematic craft. The record balances engagement and contemplation with a billowing accessible lightness, and reveals Helios at a compelling intersection, composing songs as vivid and three-dimensional as they are characteristically modernist and understated.