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.
What's In Store?
Architecture in Helsinki Lyrics
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'Cause I long to feel your name blood red
Leave our love life at the door
What's in store? we don't know just yet
And that is why when we get together
There's no need to be clever
We talk deeper than weather
Baseball cap with a feather
Fire engine's here to quell the blaze that's our life
Sidestep neighbors full of lust
Good times rust, and that runaway's best
And when the love detector finds a spark
It's before dark when we couldn't care less
And that is why when we get together
There's no need to be clever
Lightning struck at eleven, same as last night
We talk deeper than weather
Baseball cap with a feather
Fire engine's here to quell the blaze that's our life
The first two lines of the song, "Carve your name into my arm/'Cause I long to feel your name blood red", are some of the most striking lyrics of the song. While it may sound strange at first, the lines actually represent intense passion and devotion. The singer here is so in love with their partner that they want to literally carve their name into their arm, to feel the pain and to have a physical sign to show their love. This intense passion and desire is mirrored throughout the song. The lyric "Leave our love life at the door/What's in store? we don't know just yet" expresses a sense of adventure, excitement, and uncertainty which is also present in new relationships.
The chorus of the song,"And that is why when we get together/There's no need to be clever/Lightning struck at eleven, same as last night/We talk deeper than weather/Baseball cap with a feather/Fire engine's here to quell the blaze that's our life", reflects the sense of urgency and intensity within the relationship. It captures the essence of how the relationship feels like a blaze, unpredictable, fiery and dangerous, but also passionate and thrilling. The lyric "We talk deeper than weather/Baseball cap with a feather" shuts down superficial small talk, it shows that they talk about things more profound than the weather, and the feathered baseball cap serves as a metaphor for their individuality and quirkiness.
Line by Line Meaning
Carve your name into my arm
I desire to feel the presence of my beloved so deeply that I want to engrave their name onto my skin
'Cause I long to feel your name blood red
The color red symbolizes passion and love, and I want to experience those intense emotions when I feel my beloved's name etched onto my arm
Leave our love life at the door
We shouldn't bring our past issues or baggage into our current relationship and should start fresh
What's in store? we don't know just yet
We might not know what the future holds for us right now, but we're excited to find out and explore it together
And that is why when we get together
Our eagerness to discover and share new experiences is why our time together is so special
There's no need to be clever
We don't need to try to impress each other with witty remarks or complicated conversations, our bond is already strong
Lightning struck at eleven, same as last night
The spark between us is as strong as a bolt of lightning, and it keeps igniting every time we meet
We talk deeper than weather
Our conversations are more meaningful and profound than just surface-level small talk, we connect on a deeper level
Baseball cap with a feather
I wear a casual accessory, but it doesn't take away from the intensity of our emotions and the connection we share
Fire engine's here to quell the blaze that's our life
Our tumultuous, passionate life together can sometimes feel like a wildfire, but we have the ability to put out any issues that arise and continue to grow stronger
Sidestep neighbors full of lust
There may be other people around us who are just looking for physical pleasure, but we have something more special and meaningful
Good times rust, and that runaway's best
Happiness can sometimes fade away, but the excitement and spontaneity of fleeing together is the most thrilling and memorable escape
And when the love detector finds a spark
Our attraction to each other is so strong that it's evident even to others
It's before dark when we couldn't care less
We're too caught up in our connection and each other's company to pay attention to anything else going on around us
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BIRD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind