Devil in the Woods Interview

Beginning to See the Light 

As the leader of Helium, MARY TIMONY used to write creepy songs that freaked a lot of guys out. Tired of being misunderstood, she began exploring fantastical places in a way that wasn't as abrasive, and she kinda liked it. Erica Jewell kinda likes it too, so she got on the phone and asked Timony all about her debut solo album, Mountains, and inquired about the future of Helium.

When a female artist with a lot to say makes a bold, angry record, there are bound to be some who portray her as a troubled, man-hating bitch. That's exactly what happened to Mary Timony, the creative force behind indie faves Helium, whose early records--especially 1994's Pirate Prude EP--sparked quite a bit of controversy. Over the years Timony has done her best to turn that perception on its head, both with her more recent work in Helium ad on her new solo debut, Mountains (Matador).

As the founding member and lead singer of Helium, Timony began to recognize the double-edged sword of writing fierce, sexually potent lyrics. Frequently portrayed as a madwoman by critics and perceived as a misunderstood sexual object by fans, Timony ultimately found herself reconsidering the direction she was taking with her music. As for the misconceptions that she is eternally angry, Timony shrugs it off.

"I guess when I'm talking to people doing interviews, they do have that impression from reading other press," Timony says. "I don't know, maybe people get that impression from the actual music itself. I certainly don't come off like that in real life, believe me. From all the other feedback I get from people in my real life. I know I'm not like that at all. It's like a persona, like acting."

She does however, seem sickened that her lyrics could be grossly misunderstood, and that she could be perceived as a sexual object.

"Yeah that bothers me," she says. "It really creeps me out. I think that's a big part of the reason why I wanted to change the whole Helium slant. The first two releases I kinda had that persona or whatever, and that is maybe the main reason why I wanted to stop doing that. Some people really related to it and that was empowering, but then there were so many people misunderstood it. It just kind of made me ill after a while."

It isn't that Timony has abandoned the darker aspects of her music. But she does admit she's in a much happier place now than she was earlier in her career. This is evident on the new album, as well as Helium's last two records--1997's No Guitars EP and the Magic City LP. Timony cites age as another major factor in her increasingly lighthearted songwriting.

"When you're in your early twenties, you don't really know what you're doing with your life or you're really poor," explains Timony. "I'm still really poor and I don't know what I'm doing with my life, but I feel better about that. Now I'm in a better mindframe probably, and I think that's good."

Despite aging and growing happier, Mountains included some of Timony's bleakest, most intriguing and desperate songs to date. The songwriter's dark tendencies first emerged through Helium, but were often overshadowed by the vast instrumentation or the distortion techniques she and her bandmates employed. Now Helium is on hiatus. What Timony does best band-free is showcased on Mountains, which gives life to a sparse musical landscape that is altogether depressing but at the same time uplifting. When asked if she ever saw herself reverting back to the warped, creepy sounds which defined early Helium records, she expressed disinterest.

"To be honest, I don't know--I kind of don't think so," Timony says,"I think it's just I'm getting older. Like that was a phase. I really don't see going back to that. The music was angrier then, and the way it sounded reflected that. I don't think that will be a new direction too soon."

Although she blames some of the changes in style on a change in aesthetics, the shift has practical aspects as well. "Usually when I write songs I have a lot of different ideas for instrument parts in my head, but this time I was trying to pare that down intentionally," explains Timony. "It's just easier to record when you don't have to have a million different instruments. It's just a lot easier."

Timony played the bulk of the instruments on Mountains, including the piano, guitar, and viola. She enlisted the help of Christina Files to play drums as well as Helium bandmate/boyfriend/former Polvo leader Ash Bowie and a few other guest musicians.

Recording the album was a change of pace for Timony, who chose to forgo the studio to record most of the album in Files' loft. Mountains, not unlike the Magic City, contains songs full of fantastical imagery, though Timony hasn't entirely let go of the dark side. She is still writing about coffins and watery graves. Those themes, she explains, are an integral part of how she visualizes a song.

"Usually when I write songs I imagine this imaginary place in my mind and I just describe what's there," she says. "Every song has a different place. It's always the same though, it's either someplace under the ground or up in the sky. I don't know where that comes from, but it's always there. And characters either go under the ground or up to the sky at the end, in so many songs. It's really weird."

Helium fans may have a hard time adjusting to the slower pace of Mountains, not to mention the sparse, fuzz-free instrumental, well-crafted rarefication of Timony's stunning vocals and bittersweet tales. 



Taken from Devil in the Woods magazine, Issue 2.1, Spring 2000. Reprinted without permission.