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Magic City Review: Mary Timony taking Helium songs on tour as part of Matador Records releases

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Mary Timony might be known these days as part of indie-royalty bands Ex Hex and Wild Flag, but back in the glory days of Boston’s ’90s alt-rock explosion, the singer/guitarist fronted a beloved guitar-rock trio Helium.

And much like fellow Boston groups from that decade like Belly and Letters To Cleo, Helium is once again getting the spotlight, thanks to a large-scale re-issue effort from Matador Records and a tour that finds Timony on the road playing songs from the band.

According to BrooklynVegan, Matador is serving up a hearty vinyl re-issue campaign on May 19, including Helium’s two albums, 1994’s The Dirt of Luck and 1997’s The Magic City (expanded to include the No Guitars EP), and well as a new compilation titled Ends With And. The 19-track comp will feature “rarities, non-LP singles, EP cuts, b-sides, and unreleased demos.”

Says Timony: “Compiling Ends with And has been like stumbling upon a long forgotten time capsule and trying to put the pieces in order. I hadn’t heard most of the songs in a very long time. I pored over hours of unlabeled cassette demos, odd test pressings, and DAT tapes… it’s good to know that these songs will all be in one place now.”

To celebrate the releases, Timony has teamed up with with Hospitality’s Brian Betancourt and David Christian to take the songs on the road, and her nine-date North American tour — dubbed Mary Timony Plays Helium — hits the Sinclair in Cambridge on June 10.

Check out all dates, the remastered “XXX”, the Ends with And track list, and album art below. Featured photo by Stephen Apicella Hitchcock.

Mary Timony Plays Helium, 2017 Tour Dates:
June 6 – Washington, DC – Rock & Roll Hotel
June 7 – Philadelphia, PA – Boot and Saddle
June 8 – Brooklyn, NY – Northside Festival – Rough Trade
June 9 – New York, NY – Mercury Lounge
June 10 – Boston, MA – The Sinclair
June 12 – Toronto, ON – Horseshoe Tavern
June 13 – Cleveland, OH – Beachland Ballroom
June 14 – Detroit, MI – Marble Bar
June 15 – Chicago, IL – The Empty Bottle

Helium, Ends With And tracklist:
1. Baby Vampire Made Me
2. XXX
3. OOO
4. Love $$$
5. Lucy
6. Termite Tree
7. Hole In The Ground
8. Magic Box
9. Superball (Demo)
10. What Institution Are You From?
11. Lucky Charm
12. #12 L’Enfant
13. I Am A Witch
14. Ghost Car (Demo)
15. Puffin Stars
16. Leon’s Space Song (Demo)
17. The Dragon #1
18. Fantastic Castle
19. Golden Bridge (Demo)

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