Here’s a question for you. Are you musically adventurous? Like electronic music? Did you say yes? Well, here’s the record for you. Millimetre is the solo project of Irishman Terence J. McGaughey, and this record, HELIOGRAPHY, is the artist’s third and most accessible work to-date. Throughout the 90’s McGaughey was involved in Belfast’s fanzine/queerzine culture, producing several magazines himself. He also spent time DJing, playing shows with the likes of Gastre del Sol’s David Grubbs and Siouxsie Sioux, and founding Ireland’s only gay and lesbian resource centre, Queerspace. McGaughey relocated to London in 1999.

Heliography is a telescopic apparatus for photographing the sun and true to its title the record revolves around spatial electronic sounds. Amongst the most accessible tracks is the opener ‘A Great Sun’ which delivers a strong melody, repeated vocal refrain and an extended outro that is as dark and threatening as you can imagine. It sounds like a huge, slow-moving steam train, inching its way into a siding. Truly extraodinary and quite compelling. Next track ‘Horns (For Leontia)’ is far simpler with its Latin rhythm and swaying vocals. McGaughey’s influences are stated as Robert Wyatt and Jane Siberry, mixed with a life-long obsession with electronic music. He explores the alienation in rural and city life, the cultural collisions of politics and religion, and the wider philosophical questions concerning displacement, alienation, masculinity, selfhood and sexuality. ‘Fault’ seems to explore much the above. Again it’s a simpler song with a tangible melody, lighter coloured elctronics and uses vocal harmonies extensively. Another interesting and long outro completes an interesting piece of work.

‘Soul At Work’ is for me the highlight of this fascinating album. The electronic sounds are ghostly and mysterious in sharp contrast to the excellent and clear male/female soul-styled vocals that hover above the eeries soundscape. The melody is also the strongest here.
‘Plutonium’ is dominated by vocals above a haze of electronic signal waves. Like most of the songs here, the more it’s played, the better it sounds. ‘The Goose And The Cobra’ is a glacially paced vocal chant with powerful rhythmic underbelly. Around the mddle-eight Gastre Del Sol style guitars enter to create another fascinating piece of musical adventure. Finally, ‘Atheist’ continues to take an adventurous sonic route as it relentlessly tracks a path through a dense electronic vibe and monotone ambience.

This is a unique, highly original recording that demands attention and time to fully appreciate its quality. The big question is whether it worth expending the effort. My answer is a definite YES.

3.8/5