| HELVETIA is pronounced hel-wait-zea, and it's the brainchild of Jason Albertini, a talented multi-instrumentalist. During his years working with Up Records, he has contributed to a multitude of projects including Duster and Mike Johnson (including each of their own forthcoming LPs). His audial artistry is a vast, unexplored scene, challenging yet familiar and inviting at the same time.
After Duster's last release in 2000, Albertini and Duster bandmate Canaan Dove Amber relocated to Seattle WA from San Jose CA. Over the next few years Albertini continued to redesign and redefine his songwriting and recordings. The culmination of the strongest, most impressionable material was chosen to be re-recorded for a release on the new Static Cult label started by Duster bandmate Clay Parton.
Although Albertini laid the groundwork for this debut LP, close friend Amber would be an intricate part of inspiring and fleshing out these tunes. As both had done in Duster, the mates had always brought their own unique talents to the table. In turn, each would tak on parts and sounds to the other songs, which would eventually form the Duster dynamic - A melding of woozy guitars and dreamlike soundscapes with uncommon time signatures. These were ideas that would eventually unite the three as a unit and mark their signature sound in Duster. These early techniques would clearly define the Helvetia aesthetic as well.
The sound on The Clever North Wind is unclassifiable yet invitingly familiar. Helvetia rocks in the strangest of places, going with and against its own flow. A sonically complex affair, layered with lackadaisically honeyed vocals. On the first listen, it feels warm and welcoming, contradicted by an uncertain heaviness that lingers on well after the introduction.
The recording process for the album was a bit of a feat in itself. Nailing these lilting, yet melancholic ditties and capturing the sound was a tough job to do. They decided that the best way to capture the charm of the songs was to retain the essence and uniqueness of the earlier four track recordings. They did so by recording and producing the songs themselves on a half-inch 8 track tape. The recording process stems mainly from that attention to detail, and in the end took nearly a year to complete.
It had always been Albertini's intention to make Helvetia a full band effort. On The Clever North Wind, along with his co-conspirator Amber, he enlisted the help of friend Adam Howrey (Vells, Fruit Bats) whom Albertini had briefly played with in the Vells. Amber decided he would help out on drums while Adam, having recently left the Vells, would play bass guitar. Rounding out the lineup is Ross Peard, a mutual friend of Amber and Albertini whose talents and enthusiasm for the songs made him an important addition to finalizing the Helvetia lineup.
There was one more piece to the puzzle. The Static Cult Label found itself with no distribution. Up Records offered to help with the promotion and marketing along with distribution once they had heard the demos. In the fall of 2005, Helvetia was fortunate enough to open for Built to Spill on multi-week jaunts of both coasts. As luck would have it, the band will once again get the chance to win over thousands of music lovers as support for Built to Spill in April and May, 2006 - supporting the release of The Clever North Wind.
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