++ALBUM++ review by dedeew
Dedee reviews latest album from Architecture in Helsinki, a band that are, apprarently, 'a ray of constant sunshine for your ears'...
There’s certain music that can be the perfect remedy for jaded-ness, when you’re facing another day at work on a post-festival comedown, or the schizophrenic summer weather we’re having. Bands that are a ray of constant sunshine for your ears - such as The Wombats, Envelopes, or Los Campesinos. Architecture in Helsinki are among those bands guaranteed to cheer.
"A truly fresh and surprising mix of noises coming at you from all angles"
Their third album ‘Places Like This’ takes the colourful carnival sounds of ‘In Case We Die’, and releases them into a looser wilder space. A truly fresh and surprising mix of noises coming at you from all angles, it can sound like it’s bouncing through the jungle one minute, then floats into a dreamy haze the next. The songs were partly inspired by the forty degree New York summer in a noisy Puerto Rican neighbourhood, after singer Cameron Bird moved into a tiny apartment in Brooklyn last year.
A mix of horns, adrenaline fuelled vocals and poppy electro beats, this is a hyperactive collection of tunes as busy and brightly coloured as the cover art – which depicts a futuristic city sitting above a mysterious green underworld. Some highlights are single ‘Heart It Races’, with super catchy rhythms and steel drum sounds, ‘Hold Music’ - infectious dancey pop, backed by brassy trombones. ‘Like It Or Not’ keeps up a bubbly chorus of “my mum thinks she’s in love with you” til your head spins. The songs tend to shake you round crazily like a rag doll, then slow to a calmer finish, as the sugar high naturally tails off.
So if this crappy summer starts to get to you, do what I do – forget the fucking rain, put some good sunshiney pop like this on, and dance like you’re a kid again.
++ dedeew ++
Artrocker rating: 4
