On Thursday night, we found ourselves in Kansas City taking in one of the more beautiful poignant shows of the season. A sulking crowd slowly filtered in throughout the night to catch The Helio Sequence and Drakes Hotel, who set the tone with their warm and tragically beautiful sounds.
Drakes Hotel
Drakes Hotel is a husband and wife alternative duo out of Omaha who play beautiful and spacious music. The wife’s vocals intertwined with a reverby guitar to create floating melodies over a drum machine. She belted out strong and emotional lyrics while their platinum blonde hair glowed under the soft blue lights of the Record Bar.
The duo touted music off of their most recent album, released over the summer. This is the kind of music you listen to at night while you drive around, sulking in your car (we mean that in the most complimentary way). It’s absolutely fantastic. They frequent Kansas City, so you’ll be sure to see them again.
The Helio Sequence
The sleepy venue suddenly came to life once the Helio Sequence started up. The Portland-based duo hooked you from the very beginning of their set the same way their latest album, Negotiations, does… with catchy and memorable beats laying the foundation for echoing and beautiful vocals.
Even with the assistance of some recorded tracks, The Helio Sequence accomplishes a lot with very little. They seem like two fellas who just love to play. Singer Brandon Summers was pitch perfect, with a smooth voice that never missed any notes. Summers closes his eyes when he sings. Drummer Benjamin Weikel, however, flings his eyes and mouth wide open, headbanging heartily. His facial expressions were priceless.
Every song was followed by a rousing cheer and hearty applause from the audience. The Helio Sequence’s music is so hauntingly beautiful, it makes your heart ache. Their lyrics rest heavy on your mind, but the music is there to pick you right up whenever you fall. You’ll do yourself a favor by picking up Negotiations, it’s definitely your heartbreaking and gut-wrenching music for the Fall.