Architecture in Helsinki Pop Nuttiness from the Land Down Under
by Lacey Tauber
Imagine that the band geeks from your high school got together and formed a rock band. Scary, huh? Ok, now imagine that your high school was in Australia, and instead of Sousa, those geeks were listening to Pet Sounds, 60s girl groups, and the Talking Heads. This will give you some idea of what to expect from Architecture in Helsinki, an 8-piece Australian collective of multi-talented guys and girls that add such instruments as tuba, clarinet, recorder, and glockenspiel to the typical setup. Their brand of quirky indie pop leaves the listener guessing what to expect from song to song, throwing everything from gang vocals to operatic chorus to Indian sitar samples into the mix. If it’s starting to sound a little wacky, then you’re getting the idea. As a result, however, In Case We Die is hit or miss. The more straightforward pop numbers are strong, but they lose momentum in between. Their sugary sweet style may also be a bit too cutesy for most tastes. Overall though, it’s a happy, silly, wacky good time. When it comes to indie pop, they do it best down under. Lacey Tauber
