Helium (band) 2052299 225432173 2008-07-13T17:44:02Z 77.75.167.238 <!-- Unsourced image removed: [[Image:Helium.jpg|thumb|200px|left|Helium. Left to right: Ash Bowie, Mary Timony, Shawn King Devlin, 1995<br /><small>Photo:Dennis Kleiman </small>]] --> '''Helium''' were an [[United States|American]] [[indie rock]] group formed (as '''Chupa''') in the summer of 1992 by [[Mary Lou Lord]],<!--Mary Lou Lord is correct; she was the original vocalist--> Jason Hatfield ([[Juliana Hatfield|Juliana]]'s brother), Shawn King Devlin (drums) and Brian Dunton (electric bass guitar).<ref>[http://bostonphoenix.com/archive/music/97/09/04/HELIUM.html Wonder Woman], Brett Milano, [[The Phoenix (newspaper)|Boston Phoenix]], September 4, 1997</ref> Devlin and Dunton were both also in the band Dumptruck at the time. [[Mary Timony]] (electric guitar and vocals, formerly of the band [[Autoclave (band)|Autoclave]]) was recruited after Mary Lou was reluctant to go electric. After Hatfield left the band, they changed the name to Helium. Timony became known for her [[Lolita (term)|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 (Helium 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 member. Timony began a solo career and Bowie focused on his [[Libraness]] home-recording project. == Discography == === Albums === {| class="wikitable" |- ! Title ! Year ! Label |- | ''[[The Dirt of Luck]]'' | 1995 | Matador Records |- | ''[[The Magic City (Helium album)|The Magic City]]'' | 1997 | Matador Records |} === EP's === {| class="wikitable" |- ! Title ! Year ! Label |- | ''[[Pirate Prude]]'' | 1994 | Matador Records |- | ''[[Superball E.P.|Superball+ E.P.]]'' | 1995 | Matador Records |- | ''[[No Guitars]]'' | 1997 | Matador Records |} === Singles === {| class="wikitable" |- ! 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]] |} === Compilations === {| class="wikitable" |- ! Title ! Year ! Label |- | ''[[Half-Cocked - The Motion Picture Soundtrack]]'' | 1995 | [[Matador Records]] |} === Music Videos === {| class="wikitable" |- ! Year ! Title ! Director ! Album |- | 1994 | "[[XXX (song)|XXX]]" | [[David Kleiler]] | ''[[Pirate Prude]]'' |- | 1995 | "[[Pat's Trick]]" | David Kleiler | ''[[The Dirt of Luck]]'' |- | 1995 | "[[Superball E.P.|Superball]]" | Tryan George | ''The Dirt of Luck'' |- | 1995 | "[[Honeycomb (Helium song)|Honeycomb]]" | Brett Vapnek | ''The Dirt of Luck'' |- | 1997 | "[[Leon's Space Song]]" | | ''[[The Magic City (Helium album)|The Magic City]]'' |} === Lyrics === '''Magic Box''' i've got these magic things under my bed<br> i swear i've got these magic things, it's not in my head<br> they're under my bed<br> got some trees, a river, and an old man's head under my bed<br> someone said it was something he said, now he's dead<p> (Chorus:)<br> on second thought never mind<br> i'll have to show you some other time<br> it's just that i don't really feel like it<br> next time you're here then i'll have to show you it<p> i've got this magic box in the backseat of my car<br> i'll show you all the magic, it's out in my yard<br> in the backseat of my car<br> check it out, it's a miracle<br> hey, yeah, it's my vehicle<p> (Chorus)<p> someone left it out in the rain and it got pretty wet<br> you'll have to wait until it dries, you can't use it yet<br> it's all too old now we can't use it anymore<br> it's worn away and it's cracked down to the core<p> on second thought never mind<br> 'cause i've got to to show you some other time<br> hey, wait, where are you going<br> don't you know that i've have got to show you something<p> (from ''[[Half-Cocked - The Motion Picture Soundtrack]]'') ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== *[http://www.epitonic.com/artists/helium.html Helium on epitonic] *[http://www.matadorrecords.com/helium/biography.html Matador bio] *[http://www.trouserpress.com/entry.php?a=helium Trouser Press entry] {{Helium (band)}} ==Trivia== They are a personal favorite of [[Deftones]] vocalist [[Chino Moreno]].{{Fact|date=January 2008}} [[Category:American indie rock groups]] [[Category:Musical groups established in 1992]]