Architecture in Helsinki - Moment Bends. Get on it

[cobl04]

Australian indie-dance-pop darlings Architecture in Helsinki are releasing their fourth album and long-awaited follow-up to 2007's Places Like This (and 2005's In Case We Die), Moment Bends which is due to come out on April 8.

The lead single is the delicious Contact High, which has a pretty cool, quirky video.

YouTube - Architecture in Helsinki - Contact High [OFFICIAL VIDEO]

It has been one of my most anticipated albums since it was under the working title of Vision Revision (a better title imo) since like late-2009. I saw them do a festival set at New Years in 09/10, and there was a fair bit of dancey instrumentalness going on, so hopefully they don't lose the quirkiness that made the aforementioned albums such fun, but either way, it's going to be good.

[iron yuppie]

I'll say this: they have a great band name.

[u2popmofo]

In Case We Die is still one of my favorite albums from the last decade, I still listen to tracks from it every so often. I haven't watched the video yet, I'll try to check it out this evening.

Hoping the new album is in the same vibe as That Beep, as that was a fantastic single.

[If you shout...]

Hoping not to hate this. In Case We Die was genius.

[u2popmofo]

There were some really good songs on the last album, but it had an unfortunate amount of filler as well. The first two albums were both really solid though.

[If you shout...]

I think that I like In Case We Die, as opposed to Architecture in Helsinki. Never enjoyed Fingers Crossed, back in the day. Found it through ILX's "Twee as Fuck" thread, but blah. Different strokes, and so forth. I really loved (like, LOVED) fourish songs on Places Like This, but hated the fuck out of the rest of 'em. C'est la vie.

[u2popmofo]

Originally Posted by If you shout...

I really loved (like, LOVED) fourish songs on Places Like This, but hated the fuck out of the rest of 'em.

Haha, same here.

Fingers Crossed is inoffensive and easy on the ears enough for me that I can't feel strongly in either direction about it. I saw them during their tour for In Case We Die. They only had the two albums, so they played a decent number of tracks from Fingers Crossed, which is probably why I'm somewhat fond of it. There's not much on it I find myself wanting to go out of my way to hear (though I always listen to One Heavy February a number of times every February), but it still has its charms.

Yeah, In Case We Die is definitely the shiznit.

[cobl04]

I think because I listened to Places Like This first I'm more partial to it. I absolutely love Heart it Races, Hold Music, Nothing's Wrong and Same Old Innocence, and still really like a lot of the rest, but it's a bit fillerish, yes.

I haven't given In Case We Die nearly enough spins. I think it's pretty cool the title track has four parts, despite barely lasting two minutes. I love Do the Whirlwind and It'5!

That Beep was pretty great. Haven't heard Fingers Crossed.

[u2popmofo]

Originally Posted by cobl04

I think because I listened to Places Like This first I'm more partial to it.

A number of my friends loved it, it just didn't click in its entirety for my own personal tastes. I've tried to not bag on it too much, as I realize it's often easy to be overly negative about something for not being as good as a previous album you absolutely loved. It does still have a number of songs I really like.

[cobl04]

there's an awful Dr Dog cover of Heart it Races that a lot of people seem to like, even prefer...

[u2popmofo]

Originally Posted by cobl04

there's an awful Dr Dog cover of Heart it Races that a lot of people seem to like, even prefer...

Dr. Dog actually opened the one time I saw Architecture.

[cobl04]

The album is out.

Disappointing. Gone is the quirkiness that made me love them in the first place. There are a number of cool, very dancable tracks here (Escapee, Yr To Go, That Beep is here inexplicably) but it lacks the personality of In Case We Die and Places Like This.