On their debut album, Fingers Crossed, Architecture in Helsinki felt like they were just getting their bearings. This gave the album, and the Australian indie pop collective's mix of symphonic and electronic pop, a tentative, first-steps kind of charm. However, after a spending a year on the road tightening up their live act, and a little while longer in their wonderfully named Super Melody World studio recording their second album, In Case We Die, the group sounds much more assured. Everything on In Case We Die, from the intensely sweet melodies and vocals to the widescreen production, delivers the kind of playful pop majesty that Fingers Crossed's best moments hinted were within Architecture in Helsinki's grasp. "More assured" doesn't mean "less creative" though; this is a second album that really does expand on the sounds and ideas of the debut instead of just rehashing them. Indeed, Fingers Crossed's standout pocket symphony, "The Owls Go," feels like a template for In Case We Die's lush, playful, multifaceted sound. Most of the songs have lots of parts and changes to them, such as the opener, "Neverevereverdid," which begins with a spooky, operatic fanfare, then becomes delicately rambling folk-pop, and finally morphs into speedy, shouty Krautrock. Despite the ambition of songs like this and the suite-like "In Case We Die, Pts. 1-4," the album never feels ponderous; in fact, it's often even cuter than Fingers Crossed was. "It'5!" and "Cemetery" are adorable without being saccharine, and touches like the power-drill solo on "Frenchy, I'm Faking" and jungle sound effects on "Need to Shout" ensure that the album's more polished sound never feels slick or stuffy. Even In Case We Die's most straightforward moment, the single "Do the Whirlwind" -- which is so sleekly synthy that it could almost pass for straight-up dance-pop -- shares at least some of the quirky warmth of more homespun-sounding songs like "Tiny Paintings." An album with this much vibrant, irresistible, Technicolor music to its name could have only come from a place called Super Melody World. Not only is it a delight to hear Architecture in Helsinki come into their own on In Case We Die, but the fact that it comes so soon after their debut makes it all the sweeter.
I haven't managed to let this record escape the confines of my car, which, considering the power that this song has to overcome me with the urge to BOUNCE, is a fairly frightening thing. I've been on a nostalgic kick recently which has inspired me to listen to some older albums... and have to confess that this song has been on repeat. It's flippin wonderful. The bass line "remember the foggy wi...
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hype never sounded so good.nobody told me AU's architecture in helsinki [newly signed to Polyvinyl Records - home of of Montreal!!] were so fucking brillllliant. 2 days post-show [9:30, DC] with black moth super rainbow [who fucking exploded my retinas and raped my heart with feathered tongues] - I am so fucking in LOVE with AiH [and duh as far as bmsr - they're like family].added boner bonus ...
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"and honey, there's no hurryI know it's overdue, there's a key to the doorto the room where i'm staying, you can sleep on the floorhalfway through the night can we talk and see?cos there's no way that i'll sleep when you're near methere's no way that i'll sleep when you're near me"--??"Maybe You Can Owe Me"?? by Architecture In Helsinki
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these are my two favourite new bands. first up is a band who's debut 'let me introduce you to my friends' was released in europe last summer and is out in the states in a few weeks. ladies and gentlemen i bring you 'I'm from Barcelona'.this song goes by the name of 'we're from barcelona' and serves as a good introduction to the swedish 29-piece. YES 29-PIECE. obviously the sheer number of peop...
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If it were not for having a RIDICULOUSLY over long long outro (it's a good 2 minutes of bleepedy bloopedyness) which really could have been chopped off to become an instrumental interlude or something, Maybe You Can Owe Me would be my favourite AiH song ever. "There's no way that I'll sleep when you're near me" is probably the best lyric on In Case We Die and the whole thing is just so damn dre...
More >
Architecture in Helsinki played a brilliant show in New Orleans. It was so good, I'm using the word brilliant. And I hate the word brilliant. Actually, I hate it when Americans say brilliant. It doesn't sound right coming out of an American's mouth when it is used to describe music, books, movies, etc. Anyway - a couple of really good bands opened for them. The first was Big Blue Marble, a loca...
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Paul Robertson is a wonderful Australian artist who works in the realm of pixel art, sprites, extreme violence, and faux video games.He may be most well known for his Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006, but this video he did for fellow down-underers, Architecture in Helsinki, takes a little of the edge off for an excursion into AIH's hypergleeful sound, still with enough of Robertson...
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Great band for a worked-late-on-Friday-but-now-I'm-home kindof nightCheck 'em out, they're touring: Architecture In Helsinki
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these are my two favourite new bands. first up is a band who's debut 'let me introduce you to my friends' was released in europe last summer and is out in the states in a few weeks. ladies and gentlemen i bring you 'I'm from Barcelona'.this song goes by the name of 'we're from barcelona' and serves as a good introduction to the swedish 29-piece. YES 29-PIECE. obviously the sheer number of peop...
More >
"and honey, there's no hurryI know it's overdue, there's a key to the doorto the room where i'm staying, you can sleep on the floorhalfway through the night can we talk and see?cos there's no way that i'll sleep when you're near methere's no way that i'll sleep when you're near me"--??"Maybe You Can Owe Me"?? by Architecture In Helsinki
More >
Paul Robertson is a wonderful Australian artist who works in the realm of pixel art, sprites, extreme violence, and faux video games.He may be most well known for his Pirate Baby's Cabana Battle Street Fight 2006, but this video he did for fellow down-underers, Architecture in Helsinki, takes a little of the edge off for an excursion into AIH's hypergleeful sound, still with enough of Robertson...
More >
Great band for a worked-late-on-Friday-but-now-I'm-home kindof nightCheck 'em out, they're touring: Architecture In Helsinki
More >
hype never sounded so good.nobody told me AU's architecture in helsinki [newly signed to Polyvinyl Records - home of of Montreal!!] were so fucking brillllliant. 2 days post-show [9:30, DC] with black moth super rainbow [who fucking exploded my retinas and raped my heart with feathered tongues] - I am so fucking in LOVE with AiH [and duh as far as bmsr - they're like family].added boner bonus ...
More >
If it were not for having a RIDICULOUSLY over long long outro (it's a good 2 minutes of bleepedy bloopedyness) which really could have been chopped off to become an instrumental interlude or something, Maybe You Can Owe Me would be my favourite AiH song ever. "There's no way that I'll sleep when you're near me" is probably the best lyric on In Case We Die and the whole thing is just so damn dre...
More >
In my previous post, I raved about Aussie animator extraordinaire, Paul Robertson's "Kings of Power 4 Billion%". Well when I get interested in something, I just gotta find out more.Well it seems, Mr. Robertson has also done a video or two for Architecture in Helsinki. I'm not sure whether these were contracted by the band or not, but feast your eyes on their retro goodness.Do The WhirlwindDevi...
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I haven't managed to let this record escape the confines of my car, which, considering the power that this song has to overcome me with the urge to BOUNCE, is a fairly frightening thing. I've been on a nostalgic kick recently which has inspired me to listen to some older albums... and have to confess that this song has been on repeat. It's flippin wonderful. The bass line "remember the foggy wi...
More >
Architecture in Helsinki played a brilliant show in New Orleans. It was so good, I'm using the word brilliant. And I hate the word brilliant. Actually, I hate it when Americans say brilliant. It doesn't sound right coming out of an American's mouth when it is used to describe music, books, movies, etc. Anyway - a couple of really good bands opened for them. The first was Big Blue Marble, a loca...
More >
| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Neverevereverdid |
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| 2 It'5! |
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| 3 Tiny Paintings |
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| 4 Wishbone |
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| 5 Maybe You Can Owe Me |
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| 6 Do the Whirlwind |
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| 7 In Case We Die, Pts. 1-4 |
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| 8 The Cemetery |
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| 9 Frenchy, I'm Faking |
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| 10 Need to Shout |
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| 11 Rendezvous: Portero Hill |
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| 12 What's in Store? |
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Click to purchase…
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 "In Case We Die")
