PHere Come The Cyborgs

The Echo -Patrick Finch

"I read the review of another band's debut EP where the reviewer said that it was a typical debut album because all the songs sounded so different from one another, as if this was a flaw or something. I think that most of our songs sound pretty different, and I like that. If that means that we haven't found our sound yet, then I hope we never do."

Talking to Steve and Christopher from Toronto's Radius and Helena, you get the impression that they've been plotting this assault for years. They've got clear intentions with their music, and the entire band's art-school pedigree lends a sophistication to their "sci-fi indie rock" which, if faked, always comes off poorly, (how many times have you heard a band claim the Velvet Underground as their primary inspiration, but it turns out they just can't sing).

"We've known each other for a few years now. We met at Sheridan College, (we all come from art backgrounds). We played Toronto soon after that under the name Duke Highrise, which gave us some good experience. Radius and Helena then started up last spring. Since then we've recorded and released a three-song sampler and now we're trying to get our debut full-length together."

If Simply Saucer had had the melodies and harmonies of Sloan, they may have put out more than one album, and that kind of psychedelic art-pop is very much the territory of Radius & Helena. If they play their cards right, they could monopolize the genre all together.
"We play music for people with poor attention spans," claims Christopher. "Were coming from the post-modern era so we get our fingers into everything."

Steve elaborates: "Sonic Youth seems to come up a lot as a comparison, but I don't think it's a conscious influence. More conscious might be Blonde Redhead, Pink Floyd, and David Bowie, but even then I don't think that we really sound like any of them. We never try and write a song like someone else."

Veterans of the Toronto indie scene after a mere year together, Radius and Helena are ready to get out of the bars and onto some bigger stages. Or at least get off of Queen St. to play for some new folks, which is what brings them to the Circus Room on February 24th. They're gearing up for the Canadian Music Week showcase in just a couple of weeks, and they're dropping by to give us a teaser.

"I guess you can expect a whole lot of grappling with the volume. I mean, we're loud and that place is small, so there'll be some bleeding ears for sure. Other than that, you can expect the finest songs about waking up and needing to receive programming from a celebrity you admire. It's our first outting to K-W, and we're all pretty jazzed because we haven't played all winter and we're dying to let loose."