News

More than two decades after ’90s noise-pop outfit Helium disbanded, Matador Records is celebrating their influence with a pair of vinyl reissues and a new rarities compilation due this spring.

Formed in Boston, Helium underwent a variety of lineup shifts before signing to Matador, where the group was comprised of vocalist/guitarist Mary Timony, a singer in the fantastic tradition of Deborah Harry and Kim Gordon; bassist Ash Bowie, and former Dumptruck drummer Shawn King Devlin. Catchy singles like “Pat’s Trick” and “Superball,” driven by fuzzy guitars and soft, ghostly keyboards, netted them a spot on Lollapalooza’s second stage in 1995. The group disbanded not long after the release of second LP The Magic City, produced by Mitch Easter; Timony later fronted Wild Flag from 2010 to 2014 and currently leads the group Ex Hex.

Now, Matador will reissue the group’s two full-length albums, 1995’s The Dirt of Luck and 1997’s The Magic City (the latter as a 2LP set with the EP No Guitars, released earlier that year), as well as a new compilation, Ends With And, overseen by Timony. Named for a lyric in “Superball,” Ends With And collects 19 rare tracks across two LPs, including B-sides, EP and compilation tracks (two of which are by Timony and Bowie’s Led Byrd side project) and four unreleased demos, including the unheard song “Golden Bridge.”

“Compiling Ends with And has been like stumbling upon a long forgotten time capsule and trying to put the pieces in order. I hadn’t heard most of the songs in a very long time,” Timony said in a press statement. “It’s good to know that these songs will all be in one place now.”

All three reissues are in stores May 19. Timony will also take to the road for a run of “Mary Timony Plays Helium” dates in June.

Full track lists and pre-order links are below!

The Dirt of Luck (originally released as Matador OLE 124-1, 1995 – reissued Matador, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

1. Pat’s Trick
2. Trixie’s Star
3. Silver Angel
4. Baby’s Going Underground
5. Medusa
6. Comet #9
7. Skeleton
8. Superball
9. All the X’s Have Wings
10. Oh the Wind and Rain
11. Honeycomb
12. Flower of the Apocalypse

The Magic City + No Guitars (Matador, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

LP 1: The Magic City (released as Matador OLE 195-1, 1997)

1. Vibrations
2. Leon’s Space Song
3. Ocean of Wine
4. Aging Astronauts
5. Medieval People
6. Lady of the Fire
7. Lullaby of the Moths
8. Revolution of Hearts, Pts. 1 & 2
9. Ancient Cryme
10. Cosmic Rays
11. Devil’s Tear
12. Clementine
13. Blue Rain Soda
14. Walk Away

LP 2: No Guitars EP (released as Matador OLE 225-1, 1997)

1. Silver Strings
2. Dragon #2
3. The King of Electric Guitars
4. Sunday
5. 13 Bees
6. Riddle of the Chamberlin

Ends With And (Matador, 2017)

Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K.

LP 1

1. Baby Vampire Made Me
2. XXX
3. OOO
4. Love $$$
5. Lucy
6. Termite Tree
7. Hole in the Ground
8. Magic Box

LP 2

1. Superball (Demo)
2. What Institution Are You From?
3. Lucky Charm
4. #12 L’Enfant
5. I Am a Witch
6. Ghost Car (Demo)
7. Puffin Stars
8. Leon’s Space Song (Demo)
9. The Dragon #1 – Led Byrd
10. Fantastic Castle – Led Byrd
11. Golden Bridge (Demo)

LP 1, Tracks 1-4 from Pirate Prude EP – Matador OLE 078-1, 1994
LP 1, Tracks 5 and 7 from Pop Narcotic single NARC-004, 1993
LP 1, Track 6 from “The American Jean” single – Warped Records WR002, 1992
LP 1, Track 8 from Half Cocked compilation – Matador OLE 152-1, 1995
LP 2, Tracks 2-5 from Superball+ EP – Matador OLE 144-2, 1995
LP 2, Tracks 1, 6, 8 and 11 previously unreleased
LP 2, Track 7 from Rock Stars Kill compilation – Kill Rock Stars KRS-221, 1994
LP 9, Track 9 from Extra Walt! EP – Walt Records 009, 1996
LP 2, Track 10 from Stargirl EP – Villa Villakula VVK-5, 1996