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Helium were an American indie rock trio formed in the summer of 1992 by former Autoclave member Mary Timony (electric guitar and vocals), with Shawn King Devlin (drums) and Brian Dunton (electric bass guitar). Devlin and Dunton were both also in the band Dumptruck at the time. (Mary Lou Lord is said to have fronted an early incarnation of Helium.)[citation needed] Timony became known for her Lolita-esque image (e.g. short schoolgirl skirts and hairstyle) and naughty lyrics, much like Helium's then-labelmate Liz Phair. She was also known for her fairly husky, vibrato-less, monotone singing style.
Their first release was a 7" single entitled "The American Jean" (1993), which was followed by the 7" "Hole in the Ground." They released their first EP, Pirate Prude, in 1994. Shortly after the release of Pirate Prude, Dunton left the band and Polvo leader Ash Bowie (boyfriend of Timony at the time) joined on bass. In 1995, they released their first full-length release, The Dirt of Luck, and played the second stage of Lollapalooza. Two of the band's music videos ("Pat's Trick" and "XXX") were critiqued by MTV's animated teen pundits Beavis and Butt-head. Adam Lasus produced and engineered The Dirt of Luck, Pirate Prude, and all the singles up to 1995.
In 1997, the group released the EP No Guitars before releasing their second album, The Magic City. They toured the United States in early 1998. Not much longer after that (in 1998 or 1999), Helium disbanded, not long after Bowie had disbanded Polvo so as to become a full-time Helium memebr. Timony began a solo career and Bowie focused on his Libraness home-recording project.
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
[edit] Singles
| Title |
Year |
Label |
| "The American Jean" |
1992 |
Warped Records |
| "Hole in the Ground" (b/w "Lucy") |
1993 |
Pop Narcotic (on orange vinyl) |
| "Pat's Trick" |
1995 |
Matador Records |
[edit] Music Videos
[edit] External links
