Track listing for HELIUM:
1. what i would
2. the girl song
3. helium
4. let yer broken heart be
5. stupid
6. foolish
7. delusional
8. feedback
Recorded analog with the Falcon at Underwood (underwoodstudios.com) April/May 2007. Mixed by D. Kukielka and Mark Stockert. We are a rock band. xoxo
album art by stephenfilla.com yo.
reviews of HELIUM (2008)
"A good candidate this year for most improved band: Hojas Rojas, whose 2006 debut offered decent if undistinguished Flaming Lips-ian alt-rock. The quartet truly comes into its own with its second effort, "Helium," an eight-track collection on Eclectone that lands with a party Saturday at the 400 Bar, also featuring Big Ditch Road (9 p.m., $7).
HR sounds scrappier and looser on the new disc, which is one of the improvements. Tunes like "The Girl Song" and the title track have an off-kilter quality, reminiscent of Pavement, that belies the band's subtly climaxing guitar parts. Frontman D.J. Kulkielka adds to the charm with a lovable lonely-guy howl and coy lyrics, evident in songs such as "Stupid," "Foolish" and "Delusional." Sounds like someone was thumbing through a thesaurus after a bad breakup."
Chris Riemenshneider, Star Tribune, March 2008
"Hojas Rojas aren't reinventing the rock 'n' roll wheel with their about to be released sophomore album, Helium, and that's OK. Their formula: bar band rhythm section, a pair of overcharged electric guitars, a singer who makes up in passion what he lacks in precision, forms the template for dozens of other bands in the Cities. So, why should you care about Hojas Rojas? Because simple formulas done right are still plenty enjoyable. So, sure, Helium's eight songs have pretty much two gears (boozy and boisterous, boozy and reflective) but the band's managed to come up with at least one gem in each category on this effort (the title track's a great tightly wound rocker and "Foolish" is the kind of woebegone ballad that's wracked catharsis isn't fakeable). And hey, ths is pretty much the same template the 'Mats ended up riding to mythic hero status so whose to say where Hojas Rojas' story will ultimately play out?"
Rob van Alstyne, Reveille Mag (dot com), March 2008
reviews of KILLMEILOVEYOU (2006)
"The group’s latest studio effort, KillMeILoveYou (released on Tom Feldmann’s local Magnolia Recording Co. label), defies such easy genre-placement, though. Alternately a howling, spitting, careening beast on the loose and a gentle, half-drunk bar-stool philosopher, the record courageously batters down the walls dividing club music, roadhouse raunch and sugary pop, leaving an indelible imprint on even the most jaded listener."
'Round the Dial, Pulse Twin Cities, August 2006
"Modeled after Pet Sounds and The Soft Bulletin -- but thrown for a loop with the release (and subsequent influence) of The White Stripes' Get Behind Me Satan, KILLMEILOVEYOU is perhaps the most incongruous, yet enjoyable local album we've heard this year."
Perfect Porridge (dot com), June 2006
"If you're a fan of the Flaming Lips and like your music with dashes of Wilco, pick up this record, support this band, hell change the oil in their cars. Talented songwriting and performances like this one should be honored. This band should be, in a matter of time, at the top of the Twin Cities music scene heap."
Rift Magazine, August 2006
"Through beautifully layered pianos, strings, guitars, and vocals all set to rock solid drum beats, Hojas Rojas strings together quite a tale. Kukielka’s vocals do an excellent job of covering a wide range of emotions, while Tim Hovanetz keeps things together on drums. This album is mixed brilliantly and features an ambiance that is scary yet strangely comforting. If The Legend of Zelda were a feature length movie directed by Ang Lee, this album would be the soundtrack."
Lunch of Champions (dot info), June 2006
