It’s been three years since The Helio Sequence’s last album (2001’s Young Effectuals, on Portland’s Cavity Search label): far too long. Finally and triumphantly, the Portland, OR duo of Brandon Summers (guitars/vocals) and Benjamin Weikel (keyboards/drums) return with their third full-length, and first for Sub Pop, Love and Distance. The time between albums has been well-spent, logging several tours(keyboardist/drummer Benjamin Weikel also lends his percussive skills to Modest Mouse, doubling the tour time), extensive hours of experimentation and afternoons spent “listening to a lot of pop, Dylan and Can.” More inventive than ever before, the new record finds The Helio Sequence armed with a surprising new instrumentation palette and buoyed by swift pop undercurrents, with this collision of electric and organic elements. Please welcome the Helio Sequence!