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Hella

Tripper

(2011, Sargent House Records) USA, California

Hella - Tripper
A new Hella album !
When I read that they went back to the duo formation, without vocals, I was a little bit disappointed, after their terrific album with Aaron Ross.
Finally the great quality of their new songs (either for the recording or the composition skills) made me forget about this absence of vocals.
They still offer us Grand songs with strong ambiences, with technical skills, power and beauty (Watch out Rimbaud !)
The main riff in Osaka (from 0:23) made me cry.
Yubacore‘s Finale charmed me (from 2:16 to the end).
Kid Life Crisis, one of their nintendocore song (in the intro) is a good following of interesting chords.
Headless and Netgear are two sucessful build-up.
A terrific album, I wish them many more !

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Osaka
2. Yubacore
3. Kid Life Crisis
4. Netgear
5. Headless

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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There’s No 666 In Outer Space

(2007, Ipecac Recordings) USA, California

Hella - There's No 666 In Outer Space

This album welcome Aaron Ross’vocals and many other instruments to the Hill/Heim’s duo.

This album is a masterpiece as for its freshness, power and beauty.

You’ll figure it out from the very first song World Series (the part at 2:37 is terrific).

Enjoy The Ungrateful Dead ‘s great videoclip : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7_m4Na8Lbl0 (What a mayhem at 4:50)

Rhythmic patterns and guitar riffs in The Hand That Rocks The Cradle are evil.

Arnachists Just Wanna Have Fun‘s Finale is genius for its guitar riffs and vocals. Please note how insane it is to keep the drum pattern along the third minute of that song.

Finally The Things That People Do When They Think No Ones Looking is an awesome song.

The sixth song in my top is Soundtrack To Insecurity (I love the effect on vocals).

All the other songs are great as well.

A major record in rock history, no more, no less.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. The Ungrateful Dead
2. World Series
3. Hand That Rocks The Cradle
4. Anarchists Just Wanna Have Fun
5. The Things That People Do When They Think No Ones Looking

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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Acoustics Ep

(2006, 5 Rue Christine) USA, California

Hella - Acoustics Ep
This Hella Ep is pretty funny.
First of all, for its artwork : A melted easter bunny picture is a best-seller !
Then the tambourine/acoustic guitar mix is a great idea.
You’ll re-discover the songs with an interesting new rendering of their rhythmic patterns on both instruments.
We know all these songs pretty well (or we should).
For fans this time.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Biblical Violence
2. 1-800-Ghost-Dance
3. The Devil Isn’t Red
4. Cafeteria Bananas
5. Women Of The 90’s

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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Concentration Face / Homeboy (Ep)

(2005, 5 Rue Christine) USA, California

Hella - Concentration Face / Homeboy Ep

You’ll find on “Homeboy” Ep, 4 very experimental tracks.

My favorite song is Madonna Approaches R&B Blonde Wreckage, one of their nintendocore song, really successful with an awesome sound design.

Gothspel For You Not Them is a twelve minutes song, kind of freestyle. My favorite part are at 6:36 where you can recognize one of Health’s favorite effect and the Finale at 8:58.

The two other songs are really wild and are more interesting for their ambiences.

“Concentration Face” DVD is a documentary on their tour in japan. I never really likes this kind of tour DVD but that one really got an artistic touch and it’s really interesting as for their performances as for discovering japanese landscapes through a train window and culture.
For fans, still.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Madonna Approaches R&B Blonde Wreckages
2. Gothspel For You Not Them
3. BC But Not Before Christ
4. If I Were In Hella I Would Eat Lick

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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Church Gone Wild / Chirpin Hard

(2005, Suicide Squeeze) USA, California

Hella - Church Gone Wild / Chirpin Hard
This double album is gold.
“Church Gone Wild” is composed, performed and recorded by Zach Hill and “Chirpin Hard” is composed, performed and recorded by Spencer Seim.
Let’s start with “Chirpin Hard” :
Spencer’s greatest skill is to create complex and stunning ambiences. This is what you may feel in Try Dis… or in Song From Uncle.
His keyboards and 80’s videogames universe is really funny : Gold Mine, Gold Yours. I would love to play gamegear videogames with the mention : sound design by Hella.
W is a terrific song, in between death metal, phone ring and weirdness. The part at 1:22 is genius.
Home On The Arrange surprized me and reminds me of Mastodon.
For my Top 5, I add the entire “Church Gone Wild”, because it seems to me that it’s like one long track, very psychedelic, with a lot of vocals and Zach’s typical spathic rhythmics. Great.
Very good record.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Try Dis…
2. Song From Uncle
3. Gold Mine, Gold Yours
4. W
5. Home On The Arrange
*. Church Gone Wild

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Stephen Hawking Has A Posse Split

(2004, Ache Records) USA, California

Hella - Stephen Hawking Has A Posse
That 7inch split is only one song : Stephen Hawking Has A Posse.
This track is a looped riff with an awesome build-up which will drive you crazy.
For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Stephen Hawking Has A Posse

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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The Devil Isn’t Red

(2004, 5 Rue Christine) USA, California

Hella - The Devil Isn't Red

Second Hella’s album, still in duet.

The Devil Isn’t Red is a looped riff really well-done.

I love You DJ Parents which is a terrific rhythmbox+destroyed keyboards song.

The mix in between piano and hella music in Welcome To The Jungle Baby, You’re Gonna Live is a good idea and offer us great ambiences.

Top Twenty Notes has a funny title ha ha.

I love the power produced by The Mother Could Be You and its part at 1:15.

For fans again.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. The Devil Isn’t Red
2. You DJ Parents
3. Top Twenty Notes
4. Welcome To The Jungle Baby, You’re Gonna Live !
5. Women Of the 90’s

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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Live Split

(2003, Sickroom Records) USA, California

Hella - Live Split
This Hella split with Dilute offers us live songs from”Hold Your Horse Is” recorded on 4 tracks.
It brings, to these great songs, a much more powerful song on the drum and on the guitar overdrive as well. You’ll notify as well their great precision…
For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Republic Of Rough And Ready
2. Biblical Violence
3. City Folk, Sitting, Sitting
4. Cafeteria Bananas
5. Better Grab A Broom !

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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Total Bugs Bunny On Wild Bass (Ep)

(2003, Narnack Records) USA, California

Hella - Total Bugs Bunny On Wild Bass
This Ep seems to be one of their most homogeneous one.
In my top 5 below, the songs are not sorted by favorite order but in their logical following.
The synthesizers are really well-found and Magixburg’s main riff resonate along the other tracks.
The part at 1:09 in In The Mean Time, In Between Time is huge.
Koko B. Ware‘s Finale at 2:17 is well-done.
Delays layers in Electric Guitar are a great idea.
I like-a-lot Who Ray.
Very good record.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Magixburg
2. In The Mean Time, In Between Time
3. Koko B. Ware
4. Electric Guitar
5. Who Ray

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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Bitches Ain’t Shit But Good People (Ep)

(2003, Suicide Squeeze) USA, California

Hella - Bitches Ain't Shit But Good People
I bought this Cd EP because I love this version of Republic Of Rough And Ready with D. Elkan vocals. That song, which was already stuning instrumental, becomes a hit with vocals (I love the part at 2:12).
Ho’s In Da House is a programmed/electro song, very funny and with funny rhythmic patterns.
Bitches Ain’t Shit But Good People is not an easy track, because of a lot of distorsion. Anyway there is many interesting riffs and taping part at 2:04.
The same for Rich Kids.

For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. D.Elkan Sings Republic of R+R
2. Ho’s In Da House
3. Bitches Ain’t Shit But Good People
4. Rich Kids

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Falam Dynasty 7″ (Ep)

(2002, 5 Rue Christine) USA, California

Hella - Falam Dynasty
The two tracks on “Falam Dynasty” are on a blue 7inch with a great artwork. Both of the songs are really experimental and noisy.

Falam Dynasty
is a work on the bass (or guitar) sound itself. After a repetitive introduction, a build-up rise at 1:29, to free a terrific Finale at 5:26.
It’s-Go-In brings guitar more front in the mix and its climax is at 1:36 where the sum of the guitar layers and synthesizers create an interesting ambience. This song has too funny 8bit effects.
For fans.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Falam Dynasty
2. It’s-Go-In

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
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Hold Your Horse Is

(2002, 5 Rue Christine) USA, California

Hella - Hold Your Horse Is
Hella is, mainly, a spathic rock duo, with Zach Hills (Drums) and Spencer Heim (Strings) founded in 2001.
Both have a very specific, spathic, technic, powerful and original way of playing their instruments.
After its à la Bjorn Svin intro (The D. Elkan), “Hold Your Horse Is” is Hella’s first album, with many songs which are now classics.
One of these classic is Biblical Violence which is really interesting both for the creativoty in the guitar/taping riffs and the rhythmics patterns.
1-800-Ghost-Dance is a masterwork tapingly speaking.
Republic Of Rough And Ready is one of their best demonstration of their composition skills.
The part at 2:28 in Been A Long Time Cousin is pure wildness, liquefied..
Spencer’s rhythmic guitar parts on Brown Metal are quite funny.

Very Interesting.

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COUP DE COEUR : MY TOP 5

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1. Biblical Violence
2. Republic Of Rough And Ready
3. 1-800-Ghost-Dance
4. Been A Long Time Cousin
5. Brown Metal

All these songs are available in streaming on their bandcamp page : http://hella.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/realhella

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