SCOTT HELLAND: Space Age Tranceology

Scott Helland

Space Age Tranceology

© 2000 Exotic Aquatic Recordings (625989150425)

CD IN STOCK. ORDER NOW. Will ship immediately.

Ambient Acoustic Instrumental Space Folk - Soothing, hypnotic, atmospheric audio with an infusion of acoustic, electric and bass guitar.

tracks

1 Gazing At The Stars From The Floating Sea
2 Jupiter's Aquatic Highways
3 Where The Sky Meets The Sea
4 Hesitant First Steps On The Deserts Of Mars
5 Epiphany Trance
6 Dark Wet Roads To Peace Of Mind
7 Soldier Souls Hovering Over The Murky Depths

notes

The Gypsy Nomads guitarist, Scott Helland, released the all instrumental Space Age Tranceology CD in 2000; a hypnotic atmospheric blend of acoustic and electric guitars and sounds; Brian Eno meets The Cure.

Helland's "Ambient Acoustic Instrumental Space Folk" sound on the CD is a culmination of eclectic musical experiences; from being commissioned to write instrumentals for artist installations to composing independent movie soundtracks to playing in hardcore bands in the eighties/nineties*. Space Age Tranceology is a spellbinding odyssey where every song has its own distint backdrop luring the listener into experiencing each unique environment.


Take a listen by clicking the sound links to the left of this page!

*Helland got his start in music in the 80's when he was with the legendary Western Massachusetts hardcore punk band Deep Wound. The band included J Mascis and Lou Barlow who later went on to form Dinosaur Jr and Sebadoh/Folk Implosion. Scott's second band, Outpatients, a punk metal crossover band formed with his brother in 1982, played for 13 years, released several critically acclaimed underground recordings and toured in the US, Canada and South America.

The Gypsy Nomads/Scott Helland CDs
Eternal Summer 2008
Thread & Stone 2007
Catapult 2006
Brocade 2004
Earthbound 2002
Space Age Tranceology 2000

reviews

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  • author: Vmag - Feb. 2001 Review By Duke Aaron

    Scott Helland's latest Space Age Tranceology, continues his mindbending travels through the audio-atmosphere. Scott describes his music as "ambient acoustic space folk" and as awkward as the phrase sounds it fits to a tee. Scott does nothing but impress. Space Age Tranceology finds this wonderful artist deep in a world of transcendental hypnosis. Each song here represents another world to visit; another plane of existence, another personal experience, yet they all work perfectly as one extended voyage. "Gazing At The Stars From The Floating Sea," "Jupiter's Aquatic Highways," "Dark Wet Roads To Peace Of Mind," "Hesitant First Steps On The Deserts Of Mars," "Epiphany Trance," "Where The Sky Meets The Sea," and "Soldier Souls Hovering Over The Murky Depths" collectively make Space Age Tranceology more a vehicle of exploration than a CD. Acoustic, electric, and bass guitar coupled with a world beat undercurrent propel the listener into a higher plane. Clearly Helland is a unique craftsman. He puts forward a vision other musicians would (and maybe should) fear and does it all with a seamless grandeur. Visit Scott at scotthelland.com and see what the fuss is about yourself. While you're there, hopefully ordering Space Age Tranceology, you might want to think about picking up Deep In It...Mood Rings and Motion Sickness.

  • Moody, affecting, and sometimes quietly startling...would send even Brian Eno to
    author: Jack Rabid - The Big Take-over

    The Big Take-Over Magazine (Jan 2001/Issue 47)   Review by Jack Rabid Man, this is pretty. Helland is yet another accomplished ex-punk from the early '80s who has made the striking transition to atmospheric soundtracks. And he's not kidding when he says on the sleeve, "File under Ambient Instrumental Space Folk." Unlike most dreampop, this is just his carefully picked guitar with a fair amount of shimmery reverb on it (and the occasional blissed-out crash cymbal), but the shivering "trance"-like qualities of the repetitive signatures is apparent from the onset. Like music for a film, these instrumentals are a tapestry of far away yearning, with titles such as "Gazing at the Stars From the Floating Sea" and "Dark Wet Roads to Peace of Mind." While Scenic contemplates the Mojave Desert, and Toshack Highway floats on the water, Helland's eyes are skyward, into the infinite heavens, a wordless Carl Sagan with a shadowy touch and a stars-twinkling temperament. Moody, affecting, and sometimes quietly startling in its reach and scope despite its simplicity,  Space Age Tranceology would send even Brian Eno to dreaming in his armchair. Excellent!

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