Linda's Head

Liz Harris has done enough work as Grouper to fill a lifetime but also does plenty beyond that, one of which is the trio she leads called Helen. Over a decade after what seemed like was their only album, 2026 brought them back for a second in Linda’s Head, a great combination of her shadowy and intense approach mixed with the spiky drive of a solid rhythm section in bassist Scott Simmons and drummer Jed Bindeman, fellow well-travelled Portland musicians in many other fine bands. It’d be simple to say that Helen is Harris goes pop – or least indie-pop of a kind – but it’s how the trio presents the combination that’s remarkable; the entrancing fog and blur that anchors her work remains present, but this isn’t, say, just a variant on the Jesus and Mary Chain in turn. Her sense of intertwining and offset self-harmonizing on songs like “endless Sky” is always welcome, while the relative starkness of “Dead shark” and “black and quiet love” adds an intriguing contrast to much of the rest of the album. Other strong performances include the rumbling dark rhythms on the title track and the stately beauty of “darkblue” and “Canyon.”