via//chicago

np: "The Toy Garden" - Helios

I've never been a dedicated follower of ambient or ambient-influenced music. I certainly appreciate it when I come across it, but I rarely intentionally seek if out. Usually the ambient that crosses my ears comes in the context of something else, be it a post-metal band noodling or an extended krautrock jam that blisses out after some time. Every now and then, however, I stumble across something like Eingya and realize just how achingly beautiful this stuff can be when done right. Helios is one of the many aliases in use by one Keith Kennif, a songwriter from Pennsylvania that dabbles in electronica, jazz, classical, and rock in addition to the ambient stuff on display in this project. Despite Kennif releasing a number of albums both before and after Eingya, I've honestly never bothered to seek any of them out. Why? I'm not entirely sure, but I think I'm afraid of spoiling the beauty of this album. I kind of like to think of this as some little lost capsule that I can pull out when I want to hear something lulling and gentle. Maybe because I don't really need anymore of this stuff, since this album does the trick so well. Either way, I think this deserves to be heard and to that end I give you a little taste...