On October 12th, 2018, Sub Pop will reissue The Helio Sequence’s landmark album Keep Your Eyes Ahead for its 10th anniversary as a deluxe edition.The newly remastered set will be available on CD/2xLP/DL and includes the original 10-song effort along with a second album of demos, alternate versions, and outtakes from the same era. Keep Your Eyes Ahead: Deluxe Edition was mastered by The Helio Sequence at Helio Sound studio in their hometown of Portland, Oregon. You can now listen to “Lately” (below) and an acoustic version of “No Regrets” [link here].
Upon its release in 2008, the record was warmly received from critics and fans alike. MAGNET named it one of the “Top 25 Albums of 2008,” and raved, “Keep Your Eyes Ahead is a shining example of how to go retro while still moving forward.” Washington Post offered this, “Trading its former album’s dense keyboard compositions for a more expansive and organic sound, Keep Your Eyes Ahead is the work of a band commanding its audience’s attention. Stand out tracks like “Hallelujah” and “Can’t Say No” show the band flexing its melodic muscles, branching out into grandiose guitar rock territory without sacrificing the nuance and keyboard flourishes of its early work.” And Drowned in Sound, in its 8/10 review of the album, had this to say, “And now, at last, the protracted silence is broken by the surging scream of Keep Your Eyes Ahead, an album that feels as vital as the first, gulping breath of the near drowned. What this record means to Summers and partner Benjamin Weikel is apparent in the intense force of feeling.”
The Helio Sequence will celebrate the 10th anniversary of Keep Your Eyes Ahead playing the album in its entirety on tour, beginning November 14th in San Francisco at the Chapel and ending December 14th in Portland at the Doug Fir. Tickets for these dates are on sale now. Preceding the tour, the band will appear at McMinnville, Oregon’s Walnut City Music Festival on September 1st, and Rainier Day along Airport Way in Seattle’s Georgetown neighborhood on October 6th.
Tour Dates
Sep. 01 – McMinnville, OR – Walnut City Music Festival
Oct. 06 – Seattle, WA – Rainier Day / Airport Way (Georgetown)
Nov. 14 – San Francisco, CA – The Chapel
Nov. 15 – Los Angeles, CA – Lodge Room
Nov. 16 – Phoenix, AZ – Valley Bar
Nov. 17 – San Diego, CA – The Casbah
Nov. 18 – Sacramento, CA – Harlow’s
Nov. 28 – Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle
Nov. 30 – Philadelphia, PA – Johnny Brenda’s
Dec. 01- Brooklyn, NY – Elsewhere
Dec. 02 – Allston, MA – Great Scott
Dec. 04 – Washington, DC – Songbyrd Record Cafe and Music House
Dec. 05 – Atlanta, GA – The Drunken Unicorn
Dec. 07 – Austin, TX – Barracuda
Dec. 08 – Plano, TX – Legacy Hall
Dec. 11 – Denver, CO – Globe Hall
Dec. 12 – Salt Lake City, UT – Urban Lounge
Dec. 13 – Boise, ID – Neurolux
Dec. 14 – Portland, OR – Doug Fir
