Tag: Helado Negro

Posted in Album of the Month, New Albums, podcast, Spin it or Bin It

Podcast Ep. 43 | Helado Negro | Phasor

Posted on by misterstory

EP. 65 | Zach Bryan | With Heaven On Top – This Is Not Happening – An Album Of The Month Podcast

Welcome to Episode 65 of This Is Not Happening. An Album of the Month podcast. In Part 1, we review our Album of the Month. This month Nolan brings a big chunk of country (or is Heartland Rock?) with Zach Bryan's latest release 'With Heaven On Top'.In Part 2, we play Spin It or Bin It, we pick a theme and all pick songs that represent that theme. This month the theme is 'New Music', tracks released since January 1st.__________Part 1 | Album of the Month | Zach Bryan | With Heave On Top ____________Zach Bryan is a relatively divisive, country artist who is HUGE in the states but can his latest album help him become (even more of) a global superstar? At 25 tracks and 1hr 18 mins he's giving the album every chance of making an impact.This album has genuine, authentic heart. It's length is a big talking point, so is it's genre, is it country? Americana? Something else?Listen to the original album here.Listen to the acoustic version released 3 days after the original here.Watch an interesting conversation with Bryan and Springsteen here.       ___________________Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | New Music _____________________Every 3 months we pick the theme 'New Music' and each pick 4 tracks that have been released in the last 2 month. Listen to our 16 track play list that we created for the New Music theme.We then each pick select 1 track and ask the simple question 'Spin It Or Bin It'?Joey chose 'Aperture' by Harry Styles.David chose 'Miami' by Pigeon.Nolan chose 'Milk, Blue' by Pem.Guy chose 'Out of Phase' by Alexis Taylor and Lola KirkeWe've been writing the blog for years come and have a look – https://thisisnothappening.net/
  1. EP. 65 | Zach Bryan | With Heaven On Top
  2. EP. 64 | Rosalia | LUX
  3. EP. 63 | Our Top 10 Albums of 2025
  4. EP. 62 | Juniper | Joy Crookes
  5. EP.61 | Blood Orange | Essex Honey

Welcome to Episode 43 of This is Not Happening. An Album of the Month Podcast where in Part 1 we deep dive into an Album that one of us has chosen and in Part 2 we play ‘Spin it or Bin it’.  This is where we pick a theme and each select a song that represents that theme. We judge each others selections by asking the question ‘Spin It or Bin It’?

This month, in Part 1, we embrace the truly beautiful, hynotic new album by Helado Negro, called ‘Phasor’.  Joey (that’s me) is running ‘tings this month, at least one of the crew loves this album but the other two … I’m not so sure.  In Part 2, the Spin it or Bin it theme is ‘New Music’ where we all chose a track from the last 2 months and ask the others ‘Spin It or Bin It’?

Part 1 | Helado Negro | Phasor

This is right up my street. It’s calming, beautiful, intriguing little gem of an album. It’s instantly accessible and a rewarding listen but it is also a gift that keeps on giving. There is a surprsing complexity to the album if you want there to be. But the big questions is ‘what on earth do we call it?’ Guy suggests ‘Cosmic Pop’ and I think he’s right. 

  • Listen to the album here.
  • Watch some videos here.
  • Buy some stuff here.
  • Follow him on Instagram here.

Part 2 | Spin It or Bin It | ‘New Music (Jan, Feb, March ’24)

The theme is nice and simple and always a fun one – new music. Pick a track, any track from the past 2-3 months. Our chosen 4 tracks can be found on a play list here. In order to chose a track we each shortlist 4 tracks each, a combined 16 track playlist can be found here.

Posted in Album of the Month, Music chat, New Albums

AOTM | Phasor | Halado Negro

Posted on by misterstory

Here is Helado Negro introducing his own album …

For anyone who knows me and my musical tastes well, this choice for Album of The Month (AOTM) will be no surprise. Not that Helado Negro is an artist that I shout from the roof tops about but because it’s so ‘me’. Is it in an early morning album? Is it a late night album? Is there a difference? For me there is, I go to bed early so ‘Late Night Albums kind of become ‘Early Morning Albums’ by default. Many of my favourite albums and AOTM choices have been characteristically crepuscular. And Phasor is no different.

Roberto Carlos Lange, aka Helado Negro is a 44 year old American-Latinx artist who has been recording music under this name for 15 years. Lange heralds from Ecuadorian heritage, born in Florida but found his way to New York, Brooklyn to be precise.

Lange studied Computer Art and Sound design, his first creative outputs being experimental installations and by my understanding, followed the sound design, experimentation route and started to make his own music.

2017 Tiny Desk Performance.

Phasor is Helado Negro’s 8th full studio album, quite an output in 15 years given how many collaborations and side projects he’s also been involved with. It’s the 3rd of his album’s that I’ve got to know in detail and is my favourite by some way. It’s the kind of album that I challenge anyone not to like. It’s buoyant and bubbly but in the most muted and understated, almost restrained kind of way. Nothing is ever turned up or overstated, everything sits within a level of comfort and accessible presentation. The drum track on ‘Wish you could be here’ is a great example, it’s a big old beat, in different hands it could make this track a banger but it’s pulled back and almost caged. This is a similar story on every track, there is something that could be bigger, more focal but it’s always dialled back a little so that nothing else is overshadowed.

It’s a very tight album, it’s only 9 tracks, only 35 minutes but it does a lot in it’s short stay. Lyrics are sung in Spanish and English. There is an equal balance of electronic sounds and acoustic instrumentation. They are melded perfectly. There is jazz. There is quite a lot of jazz. There is not too much jazz. Don’t worry.

Here are a bunch of words that describe this album … stringing them together perhaps diminishes their effect as a review so here they are in all their naked glory;
Contemplative. Simple. Quiet. Slow. Environmental. Faint. Clouds. Intimate. Rise. Artistic. Silhouette. Fragments. Rare. Precious.

It’s a vibe. It’s a reflective chill vibe. I love every track. I could make a decent argument for every track being a ‘standout track’. At this point in time, I wouldn’t change a thing. At this point in time, I can’t see this not being in my 2024 top 10. Surely, it’s so ‘Joey’. It’s so good. It’s go so much percussion. It’s got so much tuned percussion.