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Feb 22, 2010 Web Exclusive By Kyle Lemmon

Chris Otepka, the indie rock singer/songwriter from Elburn, Illinois (now residing in Bellingham, Washington) performs under the stage handle, The Heligoats. On the back of the former Troubled Hubble frontman’s latest LP, Goodness Gracious, is a black ink drawing of a Nubian goat with a rotor system coming out of its spine and a tail boom on its hindquarters. It’s a funny image, but something about it fits the rustic and slightly psychedelic folk-rock contained within.

Otepka’s solo project from the vastly under-appreciated Troubled Hubble follows up 2009’s The End of All Purpose EP, a straight-ahead, oftentimes grave indie rock release, that got attention from NPR.org. Both The End, and this new full-length, reveal Otepka’s gift for coaxing out minor (and major) key melodies out of even the fuzziest rock milieu. He typically starts things off with a simple acoustic guitar figure, before seguing into a bombastic wave of percussion. Case in point: “Water Towers On Fire” begins with an acoustic riff before dropping into a bongo-flecked “bro-down” that pushes Otepka’s weary vocals into the ether.

His full band is certainly up to this catchy two-stepping, since they’re the Chicago psych-folk outfit Ulysses S. Grant (Mike Mergenthaler, David James, and Steven Mitchell). They all sound the best during the incendiary folk-rockers, such as “Fishsticks” and “Heat Vents.” The latter points squarely to the obvious stage name/musical influence of The Mountain Goats, but the quartet also sprinkle in elements of blues, rock, and classic pop into their strummy riot. If you enjoy “Heat Vents,” the de-evolution folk anthem, “Fishsticks” is just as thrilling. “Mercury” is a pleasant country rock track about the joys of summer vacation.

Instrumental interludes and lo-fi field recordings keep this release from venturing into stale, late-era Rogue Wave territory. Cicadas show up on the opener “A Guide to the Outdoors” and the sounds of an ocean pier begin “Fish Sticks.” The middle of the LP (“Aquifier”) utilizes crashing waves as a bridge into the darker themes of the second side. Come to think of it, water is a constant allegory for loneliness, and personal change. The tinkling piano-and-guitar title track hits on that theme and is also one of Otepka’s more intimate moments. During the love-lorn track, he talks about a lover that melts his icy heart: “I never knew I was frozen/until you turned on the heat/to reveal oceans of honesty/though not a drop of confidence/so busy treading/just to keep my head above a sinking conscience.”

In another person’s hands, this sentiment would come off as hackneyed or, (even worse) Jack Johnson-esque. Thankfully, Otepka keeps his lyrics and music grounded in reality, even when he’s melodically airborne. It all comes back to that image of a helicopter goat—if you can let down your guard for awhile, The Heligoats have plenty to offer your ears. (www.theheligoats.com)

Author rating: 7/10