Boreas. The Oh Hellos

With Boreas The Oh Hellos add a third member to a series of music named after the classical Greek names for the four winds. After Notos and Eurus it's the turn of Boreas, the north wind.

The Oh Hellos return to these pages being present ever since its second album 'Through The Deep Dark Valley'. Maggie and Tyler Heath from San Marcos in Texas are the core of the band that records with musicians when and where needed and tour with a large group accompanying them on stage.

With Boreas the band adds a serious mini album to its oeuvre. There is not a lot of joy to be found, as if a blanket lies over the album, muting the joys that life can bring. The result is an album that on the one hand fits into the hey-ho modern folk of, already almost a decade ago, but on the other is harder to listen to. I notice the album has to work, like I have, to get the attention it, as it turns out, deserves. If you do not, you will never reach the final song and masterpiece of Boreas.

The album opens with 'A Kindling, Of Sorts'. A violin/violins indicate a classic U.K. folk influence before the sound turns into an epic one. In fact the studio must have sort of exploded at the end of the instrumental song. All seems to go off together.

The downsize to 'Cold', is immediate and noticeable. The banjo is the lead instrument of choice. There's more going on. In fact in the studio a lot of noise may have been present to create the background but mixed away on record. Maggie and Tyler Heath sing together beautifully, their voices a great contrast giving the song depth and colour.

Listening to Boreas more often leads to the album growing on me as there is a lot going on. There are many sounds to discover of many instruments and so much dynamics. 'Lapis Lazuli' totally explodes and implodes. This results in a fiery storm and great delicacy in one song, which is quite a feat to pull off as good as The Oh Hellos manage to do here.

'Rose', sung by Maggie Heath, is again a very delicate song, with traditional instruments, yet used in a way that make it slightly psychedelic. I can't get my head around what happens exactly, but there is a form of manipulation to the tape is my guess, the same kind applied to the singing in the ultra short 'Smoke Rising To Lifted hands'. The title is almost longer than the song. Another moment that I prick up my ears and not just enjoy the song but also wonder about what is happening here. My brain put to work.

The single 'Boreas' has already been discussed in a post on recent singles. Yet, again I like to point to the album 'I'm Coming Home' by the late Norwegian singer, Thomas Hansen. The background singing in 'Boreas' and 'Glowing' fits nice with St. Thomas' work, as Hansen called himself on record. Both songs are a statement to The Oh Hellos' talent in songwriting.

All in all Boreas is a fine addition to the bands slowly expanding oeuvre. One seems to be certain: the next title of a The Oh Hellos album must be 'Zypheros'. Time will tell though. In the meantime do enjoy Boreas. You can get it for a very nice price on Bandcamp.

Wo.

You can listen to and order Boreas here:

https://music.theohhellos.com/


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g