SCOTT HELLAND: Earthbound

Scott Helland

Earthbound

© 2002 Scott Helland/atmospheric audio/ascap

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Eclectic acoustic guitar instrumentals, a mix of rock, modern folk and neoclassical styles.

tracks

1 Split Pea Personality Soup
2 Blackberry Forest
3 Spring Ahead, Fall Back
4 Conversation Piece
5 Golden Retrievers Of Good Luck
6 Earthbound
7 The Stark Sun
8 The Bread Song
9 Elegant Grasshoppers
10 12-26-2000
11 What Waits Around Every Corner

notes

The Gypsy Nomads guitarist, Scott Helland, released Earthbound in 2002. Filled with lush and layered acoustic guitar instrumentals, Earthbound with its neo classical flavor was a song writing triumph for Scott which landed him air time on NPR stations and in the New Age Voice top 100 radio charts. Fun, earthy and upbeat. Included is the visceral "Golden Retrievers of Good Luck", the staccato and playful "Split Pea Personality Soup", the rich and climactic "Blackberry Forest" and the neoclassical, renaissance sounding "Elegant Grasshoppers".

First and foremost a songwriter, Scott's compositions meld a visceral mix of rock, modern folk, and neo-classical styles into a "subtle and densely layered acoustic guitar feast all bound together by an un-deniable punk sensibility." As a teenager in the 80s, Helland played bass in punk and metal bands, released several critically acclaimed underground records, and toured in the US, Canada, and South America. He became a solo musician in 1996 and turned to the acoustic guitar as his instrument of choice. His solo recordings are filled with melodic and playfully diverse instrumentals that are influenced by his eclectic musical past.

The Gypsy Nomads/Scott Helland CDs
Eternal Summer 2008
Thread & Stone 2007
Catapult 2006
Brocade 2004
Earthbound 2002
Space Age Tranceology 2000

reviews

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  • author: Tony Villalba - Musician - CD Baby member

    This is a very Good CD to mellow out to and think. From one musician to another, this is very nice writing and composition. keep up the music!

  • Awesome
    author: James Gilliand

    The entire CD is loaded with great playing and creativity. With tracks like "Split Pea Personality Soup" which positively swing throughout and the sparkly-sounding title track, "Earthbound" has something to offer to everyone. A must buy for music lovers everywhere.

  • I can tell you I'm having fun listening to it.
    author: Dan Liss, New Age Voice Magagzine

    As I listen, I hear the melodious picking and gentle explorations of melody and then the rhythmic return to powerful chords that seem to form choruses. His lively, playful sounding style is imbued with humor exhibited in the titles: "Split Pea Personality Soup," "Golden Retrievers of Good Luck," and "What Waits Around Every Corner." Other titles seem to reflect the way he derives joy from the simple pleasures of life and observations inspired by nature: "Blackberry Forest," "The Stark Sun," "Elegant Grasshoppers," and "The Bread Song." Helland may be earthbound, but he certainly is not rootbound, having previously recorded with rock bands, folk rock and space music. Let's hope he keeps his sense of humor along with his considerable guitar picking skills. From the sound of it, he had fun making [Earthbound], I can tell you I'm having fun listening to it.

  • EARTHBOUND, an awesome acoustic guitar composition
    author: Mark Caldwell (flyingman) WAWL Radio, Chattanooga, TN

    A down to earth sense of rhythm with inspiring leads emoting progression in each and every track. EARTHBOUND, an awesome acoustic guitar composition. (Programmers) Play the whole cd now.

  • A modern-day troubadour, Helland has released a fine recording with Earthbound,
    author: Taconic Press, Noah Fleisher

    On his latest CD, Earthbound, multi instrumentalist Scott Helland has created a completely acoustic soundscape, one that blends, shifts and expands, weaves complex picking and strumming with lush melodies and staccato rhythms, all bound together by an undeniably punk sensibility. And surprisingly, he pleases from tracks 1 to 11. All of which deserve several listens. Simply put the man can play. Helland warms his listener up with track one, "Split Pea Personality Soup," a playful piece, before bursting from the corner with "Blackberry Forest," a sublime composition that gets better with each listen. He continues his momentum with a trio of bright, melodic tunes, "Spring Ahead, Fall Back," "Conversation Piece," and "Golden Retrievers of Good Luck." Next Helland grooves through the title track, before taking it down with the pretty and searching "The Stark Sun" and "The Bread Song." He then brings the album to a finish with three disparate, but pleasantly intertwining tunes, the classically inspired "Elegant Grasshoppers," the melancholic and overcast "12-26-2000" and the closer, a hopeful and lush tune called "What Waits Around Every Corner." A modern-day troubadour, Helland has released a fine recording with Earthbound, one that is worthy of attention and shows the promise of much more inspired and interesting music to come from this graduate of the punk rock school of music. Listen and listen again, and go see him live, you'll be glad you made the journey.

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