Architecture in Helsinki
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Architecture in Helsinki | ||
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 Architecture in Helsinki
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| Background information | ||
| Origin | Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia | |
| Genre(s) | Avant-garde Indie pop |
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| Years active | 2000–present | |
| Label(s) | Tailem Bend Bar/None Records (US) Trifekta (former) Moshi Moshi (former) |
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| Website | Official site | |
| Members | ||
| Cameron Bird James Cecil Gus Franklin Jamie Mildren Sam Perry Kellie Sutherland |
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| Former members | ||
| Isobel Knowles Tara Shackell |
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Architecture in Helsinki is an Australian musical ensemble based in the suburb of Northcote in Melbourne. The group consists of Cameron Bird, James Cecil, Gus Franklin, Jamie Mildren, Sam Perry, and Kellie Sutherland.
Most of the band members can play multiple instruments. Their music makes use of a wide range of instruments, from more unique instruments such as analog synthesizers, samplers, the glockenspiel and handclaps; to concert band instruments like the trumpet, tuba, trombone, clarinet and recorder; and the more standard guitars, bass and drums.
The band has been on multiple national and international tours. They have toured the United States with acts such as Death Cab for Cutie and Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and opened for David Byrne, The Polyphonic Spree, Yo La Tengo and Belle & Sebastian.
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[edit] History
[edit] Formation and Fingers Crossed (2000-2003)
Architecture in Helsinki began with Cameron Bird in the late 1990s in Carlton, Victoria. Bird and fellow Architecture in Helsinki members Jamie Mildren and Sam Perry were members of a teenage funk-grunge band called The Pixel Mittens. After outgrowing the limitations of living in a small Australian country town the trio moved to Melbourne. The band played one or two small gigs before going into semi-hibernation. In 2000, while studying photography at art school, Bird met James Cecil. The two had an instant musical connection and within a couple of months Cecil joined the band on drums. Around that time Bird met Kellie Sutherland at a party and invited her to play the clarinet on some of the band's songs. The band began work on their debut album at Supermelodyworld, James' recording studio built in a church hall on Melbourne's Southeast side. Recording was halted though when Bird had to leave for an extended holiday in the US, leaving the album unfinished. On his return, Bird, inspired by his experiences in Portland, Oregon wrote three-quarters of the songs for the album in six days. The songs marked the new direction for the band - short, catchy pop songs. Once again at art school, Bird met Isobel Knowles, Tara Shackell and Gus Franklin who would complete the band's lineup. The three new members filled in the gaps on the album to complete it. After nearly two years of work, Architecture in Helsinki's debut album Fingers Crossed was released on 9 February 2003.
[edit] In Case We Die (2003-2005)
In 2005, Architecture in Helsinki released their second album In Case We Die on their own Tailem Bend label. The album featured guest appearances by many local musicians. The album was produced by The Carbohydrates (James Cecil and Cameron Bird's production duo) in Cecil's Supermelodyworld studio. A large garage space in Melbourne's inner Northern Suburbs. It was mixed by Tony Espie (The Avalanches, New Buffalo, Robert Palmer), at 001 Studios in Melbourne.
In Case We Die received three ARIA Award nominations including Best Independent release, Best Artwork and Best Adult Contemporary Release. The song "It'5!" (pronounced "it's five") received wide airplay on the Australian national radio network Triple J and reached #56 in their annual Triple J Hottest 100 countdown in 2006 (for 2005).
[edit] Lineup changes and We Died, They Remixed (2006)
In mid 2006 a bulletin posted on the band's MySpace page [1] stated changes to the band had been made and that Isobel Knowles and Tara Shackell were no longer members of the band. The group cited 'creative differences' as the reason for their departure.
On 28 October 2006, Architecture in Helsinki released We Died, They Remixed, an album consisting of remixes of their entire second album, In Case We Die, and a remix of the song "Like a Call" from their debut album Fingers Crossed. Artists who provided remixes included Hot Chip, New Buffalo, Safety Scissors, DAT politics, Mocky and Isan.
[edit] Places Like This (2006–present)
On September 2006, Architecture in Helsinki announced on Pitchfork Media that a new album is in the works for 2007 and that the songs will be played on their Fall tour. [2]
[edit] Discography
[edit] Albums
- Fingers Crossed (2003) - Trifekta
- In Case We Die (2005) - Tailem Bend/Bar/None Records/Moshi Moshi
- We Died, They Remixed (2006, remix album) - Tailem Bend/Bar/None RecordsMoshi Moshi
- Places Like This (To be released sometime in 2007)
[edit] Singles and EPs
- "Like a Call" (2003) - Trifekta, out of print
- "Kindling" (2003) - Trifekta, out of print
- "Keepsake" (2004) - Trifekta, out of print
- "Do The Whirlwind" (2005) - out of print
- "Maybe You Can Owe Me/It'5!" 7" (2005) - Moshi Moshi - out of print
- "Do the Whirlwind" UK version (2005) - Moshi Moshi
- "Wishbone" 7" (2006) - Moshi Moshi
[edit] Remixes
- B(if)tek - "Hi Fi Kids - AIH Remix" - Frequencies Will Move Together (2003)
- Shout Out Louds - "Very Loud - AIH Remix" - The Combines EP (2006)
[edit] Music videos
- "Like a Call" (2003)- Directed by Isobel Knowles
- "Kindling" (2003) - Directed by Kellie Sutherland
- "It'5!" (2005) - Directed by Isobel Knowles and Ali Dullard
- "Do the Whirlwind" (2005) AUS Version - Directed by Paul Robertson
- "Do the Whirlwind" (2006) UK version - Directed by Nima Nourizadeh
- "Wishbone" (2006) - Directed by Isobel Knowles
[edit] References
- Cyclic Defrost - Architecture in Helsinki interview
- Trifekta's Architecture in Helsinki page
- Bar/None's Architecture in Helsinki page
