Yahoo! Music Album Review

Released on 29/08/05
Label: Bar None Records

Helsinki, popularly stereotyped as a wintry city of serious Finns drinking overpriced vodka and discussing the meaning of life. "In Case We Die", one of the bleaker album titles of the year. Songs called "Cemetery" and "What's In Store". Clearly this second album by Australian octet Architecture in Helsinki will be a dark, dark night of the soul.

Well, it turns out that it isn't just books that you shouldn't read by their cover. In fact, "In Case We Die" is one of the silliest, giddiest, most upbeat releases of the year, and frankly that isn't as good news as it should be. While bands like Fiery Furnaces and Magic Numbers also do quirky and happy, they invest it with a certain soul and depth missing from these songs. And, sensibly, they make sure it doesn't sound so twee and flimsy, all scratchy guitars and plinky plonky keyboards and comedy vocal tics.

Being fair, it is highly unpredictable and eclectic, and would make a great parlour game for aficionados of 80s and 90s indie. What's this girly shouty bit on "Neverevereverdid"? Why, it's Shonen Knife! What's the screechy chorus on "It's 5"? Bis, of course. What's all this off-kilter zaniness on "Cemetery"? It's the Sugarcubes, fool. And if you want to know what the overall sound is, then try merging every record ever released on eighties whimsie label Sarah into one unpalatable whole.

For the most part, "In Case We Die" tries so hard to be fun it is almost no fun at all. "Cemetery" is plain horrible, a confection of oddball sliding guitars and ranty choruses that sounds like the product of a six-year-olds acid trip, while "Do The Whirlwind" is a deeply unconvincing stab at squelchy white-boy funk mixed in wackily with sitars. Only a couple of songs rise above the mess, notably "Maybe You Can Owe Me", which is tender and, best of all, uncluttered with too many ideas.

In conclusion, Architecture In Helsinki are to be praised for their energy, their ideas and their blissful lack of cool. But couldn't it all have sounded a little less annoying?

    by Jaime Gill