Architecture in Helsinki rose from the ashes of the High School band of Cameron Bird, Jamie Mildren and Sam Perry. Bird started writing songs at the turn of the century and convinced Perry and Mildren to help him flesh out his first set for live performance. Bird urgently needed a name for the band, so, he circled some words in a copy of The Age newspaper and did some magnetic poetry. In mid 2000, Bird met Kellie Sutherland at a party, she volunteered her musical services to the band at first playing clarinet. By the time Bird met James Cecil, Gus Franklin, Isobel Knowles and Tara Shackell whilst studying at RMIT University later that year, the band was well and truly taking shape.
"Fingers Crossed" (2002-2004):
After many discarded recording sessions and countless shows at North Fitzroy's Empress Hotel, the band locked down in their home studios for the best part of 2002 to make their debut album. The vast majority of the songs were written by Bird the week he returned from an extended holiday in the Pacific Northwest. Arrangements and production were labored over by the band in myriad of locations in and around their home town of Melbourne. Trifekta Records signed the band and released the record in February 2003. It wasn't released in the U.S. until March 2004 on Bar-None Records.
"In Case We Die" (2004-2006):
The band and associates leased a giant garage space in Melbourne's East Brunswick to record their Sophomore record. Work began on the record in June 2004 and Bird and Cecil worked day and night for 5 months on the production, enlisting dozens of guests to play on the record. Songs were primarily composed in the studio with Bird acting as some sort of mad professor with inter-band chemistry. In November, Tony Espie was hired In a bid to tame the record at the mixing desk. The band fell in love with his mixing style and studio demeanor when he worked on 'Do The Whirlwind', the record's lead single. The record was released in February 2005 in Australia on the band's own Tailem Bend imprint. Bar None Records released it in April 2005. It was the bands first release in Europe coming out in July 2005 on Moshi Moshi Records. In mid 2006, the band released a remix album entitled 'We Died, They Remixed' which featured a collection of their friends and contemporaries re-interpreting the songs of 'In Case We Die', This included Hot Chip, YACHT, New Buffalo, Mocky, Dat Politics, DJ Mehdi, Safety Scissors and Qua.
"Places Like This" (2006-2007):
At the end of touring In Case We Die in April 2006, Isobel Knowles and Tara Shackell left the band citing 'creative differences'. Bird decided to move to New York City to write for the third Architecture in Helsinki record. He demoed the songs in an apartment in South Williamsburg and worked on arrangements with the rest of the band via email and instant messaging conversations. In September 2006, the band convened in Los Angeles to play the songs for the first time. After a week of jamming they headed out on tour in support of Brooklyn band, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, to road test the new songs. To coincide with the end of the tour the band booked studio time at Stay Gold in Brooklyn with Engineer Chris Coady. The basic tracks were laid in the Stay Gold sessions in order to capture the energy of the band hot on the heels of the 25 show tour. The session was deemed a success, so Coady flew to Sydney's BJB Studios in December 2006 to finish the record. Bird and Coady put the finishing touches on the record back in New York in January 2007. The first single, Heart It Races, was released in May 2007. The album was released worldwide in July 2007.
"Moment Bends" (2008-2011):
After a few years of relentless touring. The band, now a 5 piece after the departure of Cecil, reconvened in Melbourne and set about the process of making a new record at a pace that was conducive to quality not insanity. They rented a space in East Brunswick which they set about renovating to better resemble a functional recording space. A giant photo mural of Lindsey Buckingham was erected on the studio wall to oversee proceedings and act as an inspiration for the record. The studio was named Buckingham Palace and the project was given the working title 'Vision Revision'. Longtime collaborator Francois Tetaz was brought in as producer, a move that instantly allowed the group to focus more on songwriting and ideas. The first fruits of this new endeavor came in November 2008 in the form of 'That Beep', the band's most accessible and commercially successful release to date. Meanwhile, back at Buckingham Palace, Moment Bends was beginning to take shape. The band had Engineer and Auxiliary member, Haima Marriott, working around the clock for the best part of 18 months between touring and various trips into Inspiration Hiatus. The songs were much more detailed and focused, the band was said to have searched for it's essence. On January 31 2011, It was announced that 'Moment Bends' would finally see the light of day in April 2011, almost 4 years after the release of 'Places Like This'.
2014
AIH released the album "Now + 4EVA" on April 1, 2014. the most popular tracks from the album are "Dream a Little Crazy" (written by the band) and "When You Walk in the Room" (the Jackie DeShannon classic).
Tours:
The band have toured heavily throughout Australia, U.S.A., U.K. and Europe playing festivals such as Coachella, Sasquatch, Sound Relief, Big Day Out, SxSW, Primavera, GTM, Pukkelpop and Haldern.
Architecture in Helsinki have toured/played with - David Byrne, Dr Dog, Death Cab For Cutie, YACHT, The Go-Betweens, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Santigold, Glass Candy, The Presets, Black Moth Super Rainbow, Au Revoir Simone, Field Music, Lo Fi Fnk, Yo La Tengo, Polyphonic Spree and múm.
The band have be known to DJ regularly, supporting acts such as YACHT and Hot Chip, also throwing their own party called 'Eye Do' on New Year's Eve 2009 in Melbourne. They also curated a DJ stage at Laneway Festival in Australia in 2011.
Lazy
Architecture in Helsinki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bean stalking icy man
My feet are walking over him
My sneakers in his hand
And with a picket for a knife
And a rocket to depart in
My life had barely started
And now we're lazy, lazy
Ooh, lazy, lazy
In the galaxy of stars
With nothing in the middle
'Cept the planet that we own
And it's playing second fiddle
And we're bogged down in a delta of glee
And my mouth has sprung wide open
We got tickets they were free
And can you keep sleeping metaphysical girl?
Since the stars predicted something new
Would reconnect our worlds
And now we're lazy, we're lazy
Ooh, lazy, lazy
Can we grow, can we grow
Can we grow out? Whoa
Can we grow, can we grow
Can we grow out? Whoa
Can we grow, can we grow
Can we grow out? Whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa
Whoa, whoa, whoa
And he's mean talking
Bean stalking icy man
My feet are walking over him
Sneakers in his hand
And with a picket for a knife
And a rocket to depart in
My life had barely started
When you jumped all on my h-h-h-heart
The lyrics of "Lazy" by Architecture in Helsinki blend introspective and surrealistic imagery with a catchy beat, striking the perfect balance between dreamy and upbeat. The song begins with the singer describing a man who is mean and icy, whom she walks over with her sneakers in his hand. She then mentions having a picket for a knife and a rocket to depart, suggesting a sense of adventure and danger. The chorus repeats the word "lazy," which may hint at a desire to escape from the mundanity of everyday life and enter a new, more exciting world.
The second verse switches to a cosmic perspective, as the singer sings about a galaxy of stars with nothing in the middle except the planet they own, which is playing second fiddle. The imagery of a delta of glee suggests a moment of joy and liberation, and the metaphorical sleeping girl may represent something that has been dormant within the singer, waiting to be awakened. The repetition of the chorus reinforces the sentiment that the singer wants to embrace this lazy, carefree attitude and escape from the constraints of reality.
Line by Line Meaning
And he's mean talking
He is speaking harshly and rudely
Bean stalking icy man
An unfeeling and uncaring individual who is being watched and pursued
My feet are walking over him
Ignoring the negative comments and actions of others and moving on
My sneakers in his hand
The ability to move forward in life despite the negativity of others
And with a picket for a knife
Attempting to defend oneself with little means
And a rocket to depart in
A desire to escape from the current situation or reality
My life had barely started
Inexperienced and naive
When you jumped all on my heart
An unexpected and intense emotional attachment
And now we're lazy, lazy
Being content with the current situation and not motivated to change
Ooh, lazy, lazy
In the galaxy of stars
The vastness of the universe
With nothing in the middle
An absence of a true and meaningful connection
'Cept the planet that we own
Taking pride in oneself and individuality
And it's playing second fiddle
Feeling insignificant and unimportant despite one's efforts
And we're bogged down in a delta of glee
Overly immersed in happiness and joy to the point of stagnation
And my mouth has sprung wide open
Feeling speechless and amazed
We got tickets they were free
A gift or opportunity obtained without cost
And can you keep sleeping metaphysical girl?
A rhetorical question to an introspective and spiritual person
Since the stars predicted something new
A belief in the significance of cosmic signs and symbolism
Would reconnect our worlds
A hope for a renewed connection and union
And now we're lazy, we're lazy
Being content with the current situation and not motivated to change
Can we grow, can we grow
Asking if there is potential for personal growth
Can we grow out? Whoa
Can we expand and evolve beyond our current state?
Whoa, whoa, whoa
And he's mean talking
He is speaking harshly and rudely
Bean stalking icy man
An unfeeling and uncaring individual who is being watched and pursued
My feet are walking over him
Ignoring the negative comments and actions of others and moving on
Sneakers in his hand
The ability to move forward in life despite the negativity of others
And with a picket for a knife
Attempting to defend oneself with little means
And a rocket to depart in
A desire to escape from the current situation or reality
My life had barely started
Inexperienced and naive
When you jumped all on my h-h-h-heart
An unexpected and intense emotional attachment
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CAMERON BIRD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind