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Halley is a new art-rock band from Austin, Texas.  Art-rock is perhaps not the optimal term to use.  However, it is the term that fits this mix of modern rock, classic rock, layered parts, and diverse instrumentation best.  The result is a melodious experimentation with layered sound and hushed vocals not completely unlike The Prayer Chain (in the Mercury era) or Starflyer 59, but with hints of Pink Floyd.  In short, noise can be lovely.

There seems to be a story behind the album; with song titles like "Adventures of George and the Robbers (record player pt 1)," "Heart Attack on a One Way Street," and "Movie Song-trailer Theme," there is  certainly enough interest generated, even before listening to the music.

The music itself alternately rocks and soars; on a track like "As Cheap as Fake," the effect is almost like something on Radiohead's Kid A or Amnesiac.  However, this also brings me to what I did not like about the album.  There is no lyric sheet included, and the vocals are mixed into the music quietly enough that oftentimes even after repeated listening, I was unable to make out the lyrics to some of the tracks.  While the musical package is good, the vocals are just a notch below the rest of the package in quality-- not that they are bad, just they aren't quite as outstanding as the rest of the sound mixed in to the album.

Having said that, this is definitely a headphone-friendly album.  While there is enough volume on tracks like "Herkimer Battle Jettne (record player pt 2)" for rocking out, and a track like "Living From a Heart Palpitation" has Beatlesy overtones, the layering and effects mixed in and throughout the songs pretty much require the use of headphones, if one wishes to get full appreciation for what is happening.  This makes the sound a little muddy at times (which is likely the desired effect) without headphones.

Various comparisons have been made of this band with other groups such as Mercury Rev.  However, I think it is fair to say that what Halley is, is very much like the comet they take their name from; a semi-chaotic orbiting path of rock which gives off light as it goes.  And that is most certainly not a bad thing.  Any band which can make a song which is longer than 10 minutes ("Kites are Slow Downers") without sounding pretentious or boring is fine by me.

From the sound quality to the interesting packaging, Halley has certainly done a fine job with their debut.  Tracing the path of this comet may well prove to be a fruitful exercise for lovers of rock music with a little more style and substance.

Alex Klages 11/18/2002