Listen: Haelos - The Sun Rising
Esoteric trip-hop from British act Haelos.
When you think esoteric pop, other than the idea of mysterious singers poring over oujia boards at the 'artists for maleficent seances', you can also think of Lana Del Rey. The way she deftly dabbles in death, draws out longing in a single breath and conjures up dazzling spells of harmonies; that's the beauty of esoteric-sounding music. Haelos don't carry the grandeur of Del Rey but rather her darkness-entwined soul. The song in question The Sun Rising is actually a cover of Beloved's The Sun Rising but Haelos shred away the four on the floor beat and leave only its eerie mood. The opening moments are of a distant female voice wavering in an out like a siren calling you out to sea, a trip-hop beat lap at these voices and the vocals in many mimic the original but with so much more grace. The whole song seems to waver in the smoke and as you come to the end you're left desperately grasping at it, only for it to disappear away. Haelos cover of The Sun Rising is to mark their signing to legendary indie label Matador Records, they also have an EP out titled Earth Not Above.