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.
The Cemetery
Architecture in Helsinki Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I don't want to see
Baby get your feet on the floor
Shut the door, count to four
There's ice (On your shoulders)
I don't want to fall face down in the flood
Of the tears from the years that we loved and we messed up
(Don't mess this up)
Remember the foggy window?
Remember lightning and wet clothes?
Remember the house we used to live in the cemetery?
The cemetery?
There's a shadow on the wall and it's nine feet tall
And our hearts won't sink cause it's obviously nothing at all
And in a roundabout way we can disappear towards the coast
The most I have to say isn't really that revealing at all
Everyone you forgot
Everything you could need
Everybody's gonna make it to the cemetery
There's a Fab, there's a Yick
There's a Jenny, there's a Karen
There's a Paul, there's a Jack
There's a Denny
Everyone you forgot
Everything that you need
Everybody's gonna make it to the cemetery
There's a Ross, there's a Neil
There's a Lenny, there's an Aaron
There's a Saul, there's a Chip
There's a Benny
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Do you remember?
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Do you remember?
Remember the foggy window?
Remember lightning and wet clothes?
Remember the house we used to live in the cemetery?
The cemetery?
There's a shadow on the wall and it's nine feet tall
And our hearts won't sink cause it's obviously nothing at all
And in a roundabout way we can disappear towards the coast
The most I have to say isn't really that revealing at all
The lyrics of Architecture in Helsinki's The Cemetery explore themes of nostalgia, love, and the passage of time. The song begins with a sentiment of apprehension, with the singer urging their partner to take action and put their feet on the ground. The lyrics then describe a flood of tears from the past that threatens to overwhelm the couple. The mention of getting older seems to suggest that the two are looking back on a past relationship, with the singer expressing a desire to move forward.
The song continues with a series of memories, including a foggy window, lightning, and wet clothes. The mention of the house in the cemetery is presumably a reference to a place where the couple used to live or spend time together. The repeated refrain of "everyone you forgot, everything you could need, everybody's gonna make it to the cemetery" suggests a deep sense of longing for the past, and perhaps even a fear of being forgotten.
The final verse of the song returns to the image of the shadow on the wall, but this time the singer expresses a sense of calm and acceptance, noting that their hearts won't sink because the shadow is "obviously nothing at all." In the end, the song seems to suggest that while memories of the past may be bittersweet, they can be embraced with a sense of acceptance and joy.
Line by Line Meaning
You don't want to be
I sense that you are hesitant to continue down this path.
I don't want to see
I share your hesitation and concern over where this is leading.
Baby get your feet on the floor
Let's reconcile ourselves to reality and face things head-on.
Shut the door, count to four
Allow yourself a moment to collect your thoughts and emotions before proceeding.
There's ice (On your shoulders)
I sense that you are carrying a heavy burden, that you are emotionally distant and can't open up to me at the moment.
I don't want to fall face down in the flood
I don't want to end up heartbroken, overcome by the pain of past failed relationships.
Of the tears from the years that we loved and we messed up
I don't want our past mistakes and regrets to color our present and future together.
(Don't mess this up)
Let's be cautious and take things slow, so we don't risk ruining what we have now.
Let's get older
Let's grow and mature together, despite the challenges that may lie ahead.
Remember the foggy window?
Can you recall the moments of intimacy and tenderness we shared?
Remember lightning and wet clothes?
Can you recall the excitement and thrill of braving a storm together?
Remember the house we used to live in the cemetery?
Can you recall the times we lived our lives to the fullest, even in a place seemingly associated with death and endings?
There's a shadow on the wall and it's nine feet tall
There may be foreboding and intimidating challenges ahead that we must confront to grow and mature.
And our hearts won't sink cause it's obviously nothing at all
But we shouldn't let these challenges or fears overwhelm us, for they may just be fleeting and insignificant in the grand scheme.
And in a roundabout way we can disappear towards the coast
We may need to make some detours and unexpected twists in our journey towards a brighter future.
The most I have to say isn't really that revealing at all
But despite all of our obstacles and fears, fundamentally, we must listen to our hearts and pursue what truly matters to us.
Everyone you forgot
Do you recall all the people in your life you may have neglected or forgotten?
Everything you could need
Do you realize all the things you might have taken for granted in your pursuit of other things?
Everybody's gonna make it to the cemetery
In the end, we must confront the fact that we are all mortal and will someday pass on.
There's a Fab, there's a Yick, there's a Jenny, there's a Karen, there's a Paul, there's a Jack, there's a Denny
But despite this, we must cherish and cherish our relationships and connections with others, no matter how mundane or normal they may seem, for they give our lives meaning and purpose.
There's a Ross, there's a Neil, there's a Lenny, there's an Aaron, there's a Saul, there's a Chip, there's a Benny
Our memories and connections with others last forever and can even provide us solace and comfort to take with us when we inevitably pass on.
Oh woah woah woah, way oh, way oh
Let's take a moment to appreciate the beauty and wonder of life.
Do you remember?
Can you recall those special, meaningful times and connections in life?
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind