Helen America: “Red Sun” (2019) CD/Book Review

Those of us whose eyes are open see that America has become an empty shell, a twisted, crumbling political and social landscape devoid of soul, purpose, sympathy and joy, and every day we must look for reasons and encouragement to not give in to despair and fury. More and more, our salvation and humanity are to be found in music. And in that realm why not turn to a person named America for help in dealing with what’s become of America? Helen America’s new album, Red Sun, presents a response to the destruction all around us, to our sense of impending and unavoidable doom, as well as something new to look toward, a new mythology, a new meaning to help us make our way through to whatever might lie beyond our current troubles, forging a new universe. Even the very idea that there is something beyond is encouraging, isn’t it?

And speaking of mythology, the album opens with a song titled “Thelxiepeia,” the name of one of the Sirens whose songs lured sailors to their doom. The CD comes with an illustrated book, and the illustration that accompanies the lyrics to this song shows us three Gorgons, monsters presented in lovely repose. The artwork, by the way, was done by Helen America, who also wrote all the album’s songs. This song itself has an unusual vibe, a haunted folk sound, the voice coming at us from a being of beauty and danger, yet with a deceptive innocence to her tone. “The wine-dark waters are my chariot and I am here to feed.” The music seems to invite us into the water’s depths, into an alluring lair. And by the end, we are in its grasp, witnesses to our own destruction. Kaia Chessen plays cello on this track, and Christy Mooers is on both violin and bass. Mitchell Wayne Hysjulien provides some compelling work on percussion. “Thelxiepeia” is followed by “Dynamite,” which has quite a different sound and vibe, in large part because Helen America switches from guitar to banjo ukulele. There is a playfulness to the sound that is incredibly endearing and attractive. There is also something adorable about the vocal delivery here, and much as I love this track’s sound, I think I appreciate the lyrics even more. Check out these lines: “Your fuzzy wool coat won’t protect you from carnivores/I’m having congress with your plastic dinosaurs.” And these: “The only thing cold is a promise/The only thing hot is a threat/The only thing worse than the thought of not living/Is living with only regret.”

In “Pygmalion,” Helen America refers to another figure from mythology, and the accompanying artwork depicts a demon butterfly with blood dripping from its mouth and wielding a spear against a strong red background. This song has more of a rock sound, with a fuzzy sound to Helen’s electric guitar. “And do you fear a dark intelligence that differs from your own.” Then “Dissect” opens with some eerie electronic sounds, like signals from a distant and warped civilization. When the song kicks in, there is a dark vibe, and the first line, “Ill met by moonlight in the house of my defeat,” contains a reference to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Oberon says to Titania, “Ill met by moonlight, proud Titania.” I love Christy Mooers’ work on violin, which is powerful and ghostly. “And I am not your angel but I do know how to bleed/And every drop has always been in my defense.” This song also brings up memories for me of those poor frogs we were told to open up in school in our early teens, something that bothered me even then. This song is followed by “There Is No Love,” which begins with a good beat and soon creates a vivid and strange landscape. Helen sings, “There is no camera pointing down from up above/There is no love.” Are we alone? That violin seems to indicate a funeral, an end of some kind, yet that strong beat keeps marching us forward, doesn’t it? Toward what? Helen America can certainly create some memorable and exciting phrases, such as “And the gibbering ghosts that make all your arguments for you” and “And you can be the monarch of the ruins of my body.” Yes, this is an album you have to let surround you. Mai Li Pittard plays violin on this track.

The title “Three Mice” of course brings to mind childhood and that somewhat morbid nursery rhyme that accompanied us all through those early days of our existence, “Three Blind Mice.” This song certainly offers entrance into a dark land, where the conceit of humanity may not count for much, and we all end up in darkness. That’s followed by “The Rain,” which has a gorgeous and haunted folk sound. “How much we have seen and how fiercely we’ve dreamed and we know what we’ve lost.” Like the first track and others, this one employs images of the sea and being at the mercy of the elements in lines like “But as tight as we’re lashed to the mast/We are light as paper to the raging wind.” The name Helen America, by the way, comes from a short science fiction story by Cordwainer Smith (that name itself a pseudonym for Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger) titled “The Lady Who Sailed The Soul,” where starship pilots are referred to as sailors. At the beginning of the story, Smith writes of Helen America, “She was, however, a wonderful sailor.” So some of the sailing imagery that Helen America includes in this song and others may in fact have more of a science fiction basis rather than a nautical one. At any rate, she offers an absolutely beautiful vocal performance here. And that work on violin is excellent.

The first time I listened to “The Bright Room,” these lines stood out for me: “And I dream without losing awareness of my body/Not knowing if it has the strength to take me through December/And all of our dead parents can’t remind us who we are.” There is a sort of calm, almost relaxed sound to this one, at least in the first half. Then in the second half, the sound rises, driven up by the strings and bagpipes, and driven forward by the drums. Roger Parson plays bagpipes on this track. “Arcadia” has a sweet and positive, uplifting sound from the start, a beautiful and wonderful sound. This song has its own sort of magic, tied to the innocence of childhood, as she sings “And we’ll never grow old and we’ll never come down.” Stefanie Brendler plays French horn on this track. Interestingly, that’s followed by a second song with “mice” in its title, “We Are All Mice.” This one takes us into a different land as well, through its lyrics and the use of toy piano and hammered dulcimer. “And blessed is the water of the little wasted lives that nothing feeds on.” This fascinating album concludes with its title track, “Red Sun,” which begins with some pretty work on guitar. On this one, Helen America’s excellent voice is joined by Nina Budabin McQuown and Rebecca Wenstrom, adding another layer of beauty. Plus, that violin seems to promise a new day even as it bids goodbye to this one. “Is there movement in the ashes/After we are gone/Is there light enough to rise/Hide, hide me here/The center of your light.”

CD Track List

1. Thelxiepeia
2. Dynamite
3. Pygmalion
4. Dissect
5. There Is No Love
6. Three Mice
7. The Rain
8. The Bright Room
9. Arcadia
10. We Are All Mice
11. Red Sun 

Red Sun was released on November 8, 2019.