Helvetia

Spacy indie rock group Helvetia were formed in Seattle in the mid-2000s by Jason Albertini and Canaan Dove Amber. Both had previously played together in the San Jose-based experimental group Duster, and their early efforts with Helvetia seemed a logical evolution of that band's boundary-pushing ideals. They made their debut in 2006 with The Clever North Wind on former Duster member Clay Parton's Static Cult label. They followed it up with The Acrobats (2008) and Headless Machine of the Heart (2009), further evolving into more psych-influenced styles and unusual song structures. Since the band's inception, Albertini has continued to employ a rotating cast of bandmembers and collaborators, including Built to Spill's Jim Roth and Scott Plouf. After a handful of additional releases for Static Cult (full-length albums Helvetia's Junk Shop and On the Lam, as well as rarities compilation Gladness [2001-2006]), Albertini relocated to Portland, Oregon and signed with Joyful Noise Records to release 2012's Nothing in Rambling. A year later, Albertini joined Built to Spill on bass and the two bands continued to share members and tour together, as well as collaborating for a limited-edition flexi-disc single called "Spooky Action at the Sufferbus." Dromomania, Helvetia's eighth LP and second for Joyful Noise, was slated for release in October 2015. ~ Timothy Monger