Sometimes, the most important revelations come to us when intent is thrown to the wayside. The practice of deliberately rejecting pure deliberation is The Helio Sequence's newest modus operandi, but it hasn't always been. 1999's Accelerated Slow Motion Cinema EP and 2000's Com Plex (the former self-released and the latter on their hometown of Portland's illustrious Cavity Search label) found the duo in hot pursuit of a very specific kind of sonic perfection-one steeped in amorphous, often ambient sensibilities and punctuated with ethereal, mechanical bursts of energy. The resulting linear compositions, intricately rendered from sonic threads affected by psychedelic and early '80s wall-of-sound groups, pointed towards what Helio Sequence would accomplish in 2001's stellar Young Effectuals (also on Cavity Search). After three years and several tours keyboardist/drummer Benjamin Weikel also lends his percussive skills to Modest Mouse. The new album, Love and Distance is bright, free, and organic-a collection of refreshingly melodious songs that stand in stark contrast to the "univibe" that Brandon Summers (vox/guitar) asserts their past compositions often possessed. The duo has truly reached a new sonic plane.