Thee Heavenly Music Association is an apt moniker, but one that the duo of Helen Storer and David Hillis could have a hard time living up to. If murky guitar riffs and some feedback and fuzz are your niche, then step right up! Bands such as the Jesus and Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine are easily discerned here, while current bands such as Singapore Sling and Bikini Atoll are definitely quaint comparisons. "Synesthesia" starts the album off with a beefy guitar riff and ethereal, airy vocals to create a perfect blend of beauty and brawn. This could be the soundtrack to Lost in Translation 2 if such a venture came to fruition. Deeper and stronger is "The Absolute Elsewhere," which has Storer's vocals drawing out the best of Hillis' guitar playing, similar to the Cure circa Bloodflowers. The only problem with this track is that it ends much too quickly and abruptly, making it seem a bit unfulfilled or not fully blossomed. Highlights, and there are several, have to begin with the epic, dreamy, and extremely lush "Alain," which soars and soars. One hopes it goes on and on, but it ends -- unfortunately -- after just four precious, joyful minutes. It's this grandiose approach that keeps it so pleasing and sweet. Then there is the slow-building and downplayed "Angelic Disorder," which offers a wall of sound behind Storer's somewhat dreary yet hopeful pipes. "Suffer My Angel" tends to suffer by winding around an arrangement that doesn't go anywhere. However, this is atoned for with the stunning "Trip Seat," as the band makes a beautiful, thick, intense, and emotional wall of sound. The album takes a bit of a breather during "Jiji Crycry," but this effort is still a healthy dose of hazy, psychedelic-tinged dream rock. They take the album up an intense notch or two with the buzzsaw urgency of "Say Something," which never falters or wavers, making it a consistently strong listen. The coda is a coveted cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill," slowing the tune down into a very sparse, precious nugget in the vein of Moby's reworking of New Order's "Temptation." The guitar hues resemble the Edge here as well. --- Jason MacNeil, Allmusic.com
Music may just be getting good againor even terrific! Layers upon layers of reverb-clouded lush psychedelia billow like white dust unfolding behind the tailpipe of a 69 midnight-blue Mustang roaring through the Nevada desert. The Warlocks, Brian Jonestown Massacre and Black Rebel Motorcycle Club have a rivaland Thee Heavenly Music Association is more symphonic, freeform and gigantic than any of em. Female vocals get sultry like Mazzy Star in Alain, soulful and smooth like Sharin Foo of the Raveonettes in, well, everything. One of the top 10 albums of the year. --SL WeeklyStep into a time portaland dont forget to wear all blackand kick back and enjoy the ethereal sounds that make up Shaping The Invisible. Thee Heavenly Music Association is indeed heavenly and so is singer Helen Storer, who sounds like a cross between P.J. Harvey and the Cocteau Twins and looks like a freaking super model. Shaping The Invisible is infectiously seductive and fans of shoegazers, The Jesus and Mary Chain or My Bloody Valentine will love every drippy second of it. The band plays out like a six degrees of everyone with Storer being a former member of Fluffy and Jack off Jill and Fireball Mystery. Guitarist/singer David Hillis played in bands Mace and Sybil Vane and engineered albums for Afghan Whigs, Pearl Jam, and Alice In Chains and drummer Dave Kruzen is former Pearl Jam alum. This album is pure sex. Check out the track Angelic Disorder or the Kate Bush cover Running Up That Hill and see for yourself.
--Theresa Culver, www.news-4u.com
