Halou
Wholeness And Separation

Rebecca Coseboom, Ryan Coseboom, and Mikael Eldridge are Halou, a Californian band that with this third album dated 2006 offers us an interesting mixture of Trip Hop, Electronica, Glitch, Dream Pop, and sparks of Pop Rock that recall the glories of the much more acclaimed Portishead, Massive Attack, Laika, Garbage, which they have nothing to envy. So here comes yet another band with an enchanting female leader that harkens back to the Bristol Sound, one might think, but it's not so. Halou differentiate themselves from the myriad of products in this branch with a good dose of imagination, extravagance, sonic exploration, and excellent avant-garde touches that make them, if not unique, surely singular in their genre, so much so that despite the largely ascertainable Trip Hop influences in the listening, they themselves reject the association with this label, which fits nonetheless.

The warm synthetic sounds, the elegant rhythmic parts, the ethereal strings, and Rebecca's whispering approach actually bring nothing new within a genre now well-defined and boxed where everything has been said and done, but it is with careful and engaged listening that one arrives at perceiving the real value of this work and this collective that perhaps could and should have said more, but which, alas, like much of the quality products, has passed almost unnoticed. Right from the floating and detaching intro "Separation", where one finds oneself faced with a wonderful crescendo tissue made of strings, delicate piano notes, and barely perceptible reverse rhythms, it becomes clear that this is a work of undeniable depth, well-layered and rich in various influences (but beware, this latter factor could reveal negative feedbacks). The melancholic and gray halo that pervades it is abundantly felt in all 14 songs; it is up to the listener to understand it, make it their own, and not classify it as the usual syrupy and predictable product.

Rebecca's faint voice finds fertile ground in the mysterious "Tubefed" where glitch percussion, acoustic guitar, and industrial sounds make their way, forming a worthy start point with a pulsating bass. The excellent production and creative voice processing/effects contribute significantly to giving an avant-garde touch of a certain value. A soft arpeggio leads us to "Honeythief", a track that follows the path taken by Portishead with Dummy. Rebecca whispers and enchants with her sweet voice, an extraordinary beat that gives the right charge to a colorful piece that in the electric choruses strongly recalls the early Garbage albums, an impression that will then be confirmed in full on the rock/electronic "Stonefruit", among the most energetic and sunny pieces (despite the singer's voice always leaking a veiled unease) that will certainly appeal to those like myself who appreciate Shirley & co. The (like Manson by chance) red-haired vocalist brings us back to Garbage inspirations on the ballad "Morsecode", if the previous pieces resumed the more driven episodes of the latter, "Morsecode" does nothing but bring us back to their more subdued and experimental Trip Hop tracks such as "You Look So Fine" or "Milk"; hyper-manipulated beats and industrial partitions come to the rescue in giving points to this piece, which were undoubtedly a missing link in Butch's productions, which focused more on the music factor and sought-after chords. Distortions, sharp rhythms, and liquid percussion alternate on the excellent "Everything Is Ok" and "Your Friends", the singing brings us back to some 90's albums; it won't be difficult to hear a pinch of "Gran Turismo" by The Cardigans; indeed in this track, the similarities in Rebecca's vocal timbre with the Swedish leader of the latter are impressive, where the talented vocalist leaves behind the depressing tones to opt for a fresh and syrupy setting like Nina's.

Jazz influences on the relaxing "The Ratio Of Freckles To Stars", the introduction of "Alaska" is scabrous and spatial, leading to a Pop Rock arrangement tinged with electronics, which with electric guitars in the foreground brings us back once again to the Garbage sound. Brief but intense "Today" and "Hollow Bones" boast an astonishing and hammering beat, in addition to robust electronic arrangements that we will also find on the sensual "I Am Warm", highlighting Ryan's great electronic aptitude, who I discover is a Reaktor & ProTools dependent, and previously a producer of other more or less unfortunate electro-oriented works. Mystical and at times oriental "Things Stay The Same", based on a sad piano melody and supported by trembling strings, never-before-exaggerated bass, and a particularly inspired Coseboom, the union of real instruments and electronics is further strengthened in this episode that showcases a great eclecticism on the part of the group, with a chorus where progressive territories are even explored.

Thus strikes the great homogeneity and compactness of this work with a melancholic and dreamy mood that cannot fail to appeal to the most dreamy and emotional souls, but that will certainly provide excellent cues also to lovers of Trip Hop, and of that electronics where the common denominator is -experiment-, but why not, also amaze, mix various influences and borrow others from historical albums of the past decade: here's the "negative feedbacks" factor mentioned initially coming into play again. This constant citing (or it would be better to say cloning) eventually becomes a clear sign of personality lack. In some moments, the inspiration from the aforementioned Garbage, Portishead, Massive Attack, and Cardigans of Gran Turismo is indeed too flaunted. The same goes for the singer, mind you valid and with a delightful captivating and malleable voice depending on the situations, but who in fact, only in rare cases, provides a singular and subjective approach to Ryan's creations, preferring to draw inspiration from other successful female voices easily found in the tracks handled here. However, it remains a well-made product, played and sung well; one of the few technical flaws is the production and consequent final mastering, resulting in being too muffled and ultra-compressed, certainly not help to a clean and undisturbed listening.

Will they be able to emerge and tell us something more in the coming years? Yes, perhaps, but a renewal, a clear connotation, a restyling in the studio is urgent because borrowing what others conceived years before is okay, it is always pleasant and constitutes a certain well-received sensation of déjà vu, but in the long run, it is clear that it is certainly not a positive point for a nevertheless VALID band that wants to emerge. "Wholeness And Separation" is at times easy listening, at times closed and well-boxed in its genre, sometimes committed and experimental, with fair strokes of genius, but that in one way or another becomes adorable and knows how to touch you deeply with its delicate atmospheres, its intense tracks, Rebecca's velvety voice; the evaluation is a deserved 4, but they could do and give more, waiting for works of greater character, I highly recommend listening to the sample.