WES CARROLL CONFABULATION releases new album, Helium
Helium, the Wes Carroll Confabulation‘s third studio album, is an expressive pop and jazz record defined by clever songwriting, deep grooves, and thoughtful arrangements. Carroll’s distinct, hip-hop-inspired vocals combine flowing rhymes with potent melodies, as Helium‘s nine tracks span a wide range of topics: the rising cost of living, sexual humor, re-imagining masculinity, distraction, hopelessness, and quirky love. Helium is a deeply personal record that offers a space to grieve, laugh, and slow down.
Swirling dresses, chic accessories, and muggy bodies intertwined. “Put it On” is about men ripening through gender play as hard shoulders soften and new blossoms unfurl. The song is propelled by Wes Carroll’s rap/sung flow, twirling horn lines, and Dakota Hoeppner’s keyboard solo.
“Lost Look” is a dreamy, jazz/soul tune that finds the singer sitting with a lover’s distraction, but not taking it personally. Carroll’s wordplay is clever, catchy, and testifies to his mad skillz as a lyricist. The song also boasts an extended modern jazz guitar solo by Carroll.
As in the American Songbook classic “My Funny Valentine,” the protagonist of “What’s On My Mind” can catalogue all of his beloved’s imperfections, but he adores her anyway. Her anxiety and aimlessness only strengthen his feelings of affection and solidarity. The song includes shimmering vibraphones, guitar harmonics, and an inventive trumpet solo by Owen Chow.
A frisky hip-hop tune, “Feather,” advocates for flirtatious feather play instead of predictable sex and monogamy. It features two imaginative rap verses, a kinky hook, a John Scofield-inspired guitar solo, and some horny trumpet and sax throughout. It features the glorious chorus line, “I just wanna put a feather in ya netherlands.”
The title track “Helium” describes how so many things tend to float out of our reach these days: the cost of living, global temperature, and our collective mental health. The word helium also refers to our voices, which have become so squeaky and rushed. This steady, soulful track sits back with flowing verses, ambient keys, and a plaintive refrain. Carroll’s fine guitar solo is just the right kind of dramatic.
A gorgeous, sentimental ballad, “So Beautiful” plumbs the depths of an aching heart that must reluctantly abandon a loved one who’s unable to open up fully to romance. Soulful and sad, “So Beautiful” lives up to its name, and features a captivating, melancholy sax solo from Rowan Farintosh.
“On New Year’s Day” asks why we choose to black out on the eve of that holiday. Why do joy and sadness collide then, and on our birthdays? This high-energy tune searches for answers, merging euphoric horn playing and driving verses with a gloomy chorus.
“When I Start My Day” is a dark tune about feeling frustrated with depression first thing in the morning. The only song on this album without a solo, it channels Amy Winehouse in the choruses and offers a break in the cloud where the songbirds sing.
“Wishing Well” is about not feeling able to open up. A song about hopelessness disguised as fearlessness, driven by the military march of a snare drum, with a passionate, climactic trumpet solo by Owen Chow.
The metaphor of helium is pervasive throughout this record. The characters in all tracks besides “Feather” are impacted by the stress, trauma, and anxiety that are common place in this late-capitalist era. Whether it’s distraction, alienation, economic inflation, depression, or emotional blocks from patriarchal socialization, this album is about fighting to stay grounded while helium keeps trying to pull us toward the sky.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
Hi there, I’m a songwriter, and musician based in Victoria BC whose music blends pop and soul with jazz harmony and improvisation. I have many inspirations ranging from Anderson Paak and Pink Floyd to Wes Montgomery and Amy Winehouse. I write a mix of vocal and instrumental songs about topics that include inflation, mental health, sexual humor, quirky love, and social justice themes. My main instruments are guitar and vocals but I also play bass sometimes too which is helpful as an arranger. I’m also influenced by Wayne Shorter and love how he writes for trumpet and saxophone. I enjoy using some of his techniques while writing horn lines in pop songs. I think that’s part of my sound. I’m also a music teacher and program developer. I teach group music theory, private lessons, and improvisation/musical mindfulness classes at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and help to coordinate their contemporary school too.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
Helium, Wes Carroll Confabulation’s third studio album, is my first crack at writing a record that features no instrumental music. My previous two albums were an even mix of instrumental and vocal with longer solo sections. In these nine tracks, I wanted to explore a greater variety of textures by meshing vibraphones with slide guitar, horns, and background vocals. There’s a bigger focus on production and tone too. Thematically, much of this record explores the multiple levels in which helium’s attributes mirror capitalism’s dysregulating effects on us as individuals and as a society. Whether it’s distraction, alienation, inflation, depression, or emotional blocks from patriarchal socialization, much of this album is about the dizzying helium balloons, created through capitalism’s destructive expansion, which pull us from the ground and make our voices squeaky and rushed. The stories on this album are mostly told from a personal standpoint but as we know, the personal is political. Not all of the tracks are serious though! There’s a rap song about silly-sexual feather play, and a driving R&B track about men fabulously wearing women’s clothing too.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
I wish! That’s something that I’m working on. One thing I miss about being a full-time music student is the writing assignments. I’ve learned that writing freeform poetry in the morning can lead to me writing better lyrics. I also find lyrical ideas often flow with ease when I have a groove to fit them into so I try to write chord progressions first and listen back to them in the search of words and melodies. Also, tea and candles are often involved in my creative ventures.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
We’re currently playing some album release shows! We played in Vancouver on May 25 and Victoria on May 30. This is my first release with Flatcar Records who has been very helpful in promoting the album. My plan is to start gearing up for some fall shows soon and release some live footage of our release concerts in between. Besides that, I’ve made a 20-page Zine for this album. I had so much fun creating a booklet with writeups for each song along with illustrations and descriptions. My singing style involves flowing lyrics with internal rhyme schemes. I find that folks who didn’t grow up on hip-hop have trouble catching all of the words so I wanted to make the meaning more accessible. I’m excited to share the zine with more fans in the coming months!
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
Doing my masters in jazz performance at the University of Toronto during the pandemic was a game-changer for sure. It gave me time to find new sounds, practice for hours every day, learn from some great teachers, and get out of the plateau that can come with being a working musician. Ironically, returning to playing bar gigs, and working in rock bands has allowed for a lot of growth all over again as I have new ideas and musicianship that I am bringing with me. Since graduating, I’ve put much of my energy towards improving as a singer with some of the skills and attention that I gained in grad school.
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
I’ve been a big fan of Lady Phyl’s music for a while now. We shared a bill a few years ago. They’re based out of Victoria BC and are playing at FernFest this year. It’s a great 4-piece band featuring some amazing neo-soul songwriting and masterful lead vocals!
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