Pop Musicology - "The Second Drummer Drowned"

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Pop Musicology - February 2008

Architecture in Helsinki

February 26th 2008 22:00

Architecture in Helsinki is an Aussie melodramatic, ghetto-tech and jungle music collective based in Melbourne and was formed in 2000 by original members and longtime mates Cameron Bird, Jamie Mildren and Sam Perry of a teen funk-grunge band called The Pixel Mittens.

They were later joined by Gus Franklin and Kellie Sutherland to complete the "perfect lineup, an amalgamation of well-schooled and self taught, loose and tight, happy and sad, city kids and country folk. A group of people with influences and tastes spanning the last 183 years of pop music, coupled with the isolation of Australia."

Architecture in Helsinki Fingers Crossed

Citing the Mighty Boosh and the Mighty Murray River as their influences, the band has a reputation for sensational live shows and a large, loyal fan base. They have released a total of three studio albums: Fingers Crossed (2003), In Case We Die (2005) and Places Like This (2007).

The band's debut album, Fingers Crossed is best known for its gentle, high-pitched synthesizers and wide range of musical instruments including glockenspiel, woodwinds, xylophone, flute and may more.

Architecture in Helsinki Places Like This

AIH has matured through the years while their popularity has grown exponentially both at home and overseas (esp. Japan and Europe). Their most recent studio album, Places Like This is a polished effort while still retaining the more playful antics than a steamboat full of bunnies that they're well known for. The album has the earmarks of a band that has it all pretty much figured out and that they really know where they are and where they’re going. The fact that the album itself was recorded in less than two weeks is a testament to that.

My favourite track from the album is “Lazy (Lazy)”, a silky smooth track with a thumping bassline while tracks such as the B-52s influenced “Hold Music”, “Feather in a Baseball Cap” and “Muppets in the Caribbean” are highly recommended.

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Bands, Review

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The Bluetones

February 18th 2008 08:00

Originally named The Bottlegarden, The Bluetones were formed in 1994 by original band members, Mark Morriss (vocals), Adam Devlin (guitar), Scott Morriss (bass guitar) and Eds Chesters (drums).

The band name was apparently chosen after Adam had a dream about the best band in the world and they were called The Bluetones, so the next day the band began calling themselves The Bluetones although in another interview, the band said the name was chosen as an anagram of "The Subtle One".

The Bluetones rose to prominence during the mid 1990s - the height of the BritPop era - with their hit song "Slight Return", a single from their debut album Expecting to Fly released in 1996. The album was a bestseller and huge commercial success for the band and it proved so popular that it dislodged Oasis' (What's the Story) Morning Glory? off the No.1 spot on the UK music charts upon its release. The album spawned other hit singles including "Bluetonic" and "Cut Some Rug".

The bands sophomore album, Return to the Last Chance Saloon, was released in 1998 and had some huge shoes to fill. Despite never reaching the same heights as their debut effort, the album was well-received by fans and spawned four singles: "Solomon Bites the Worm", "If...", "Sleazy Bed Track" and "4-Day Weekend".

By the time the third album, Science & Nature, came along in 2000, the BritPop era was well and truly over but despite this, the album reached No.7 on the UK music charts - two positions higher than their previous effort. Together with the addition of new member Richard Payne (keyboards and guitar), the band achieved sound commercial success with hit songs "Keep the Home Fires Burning" and "Autophilia".

The Bluetones released Luxembourg in 2003 as a four-some once again after the departure of Richard Payne in 2001. The album peaked at No.49 - the band's lowest charting record to-date - but their popularity with fans was sustained through extensive touring, earning them the tag of "Britpop survivors" by the press.

The band's most recent and self-titled album was released in late 2006. Hoping to recapture some of the magic of their debut album, The Bluetones teamed up with former producer Hugh Jones to largely positive reviews from critics and fans. Despite the album charting at an all-time low of No.100, it still spawned the singles "My Neighbour's House", "Head On A Spike" and "Surrendered".

The Bluetones remains present to this day and are currently on a mini-tour of Scotland.

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Posted By: Arnold - Category: Bands, Britpop

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Liking The Pixies makes you a little crazy

February 12th 2008 09:16

The Best-of-Craigslist is a great way to take a little cross-section of online America and have a damn good time reading it. It's fun, sometimes sad, sometimes thrilling.

This cat in Austin wrote a long-ass post about how he managed to not see the Pixies play a secret show, twice. It rose to the top of the list, perhaps because he uses such colourful language.

"I watched Fight Club, and I went to Tower Records and I bought the Fight Club sound track. It didn't have the song I wanted. I asked friends, "What was that song at the end, the song, you know, the one that was really mind blowingly amazing?"

"Shut up," they said. "You suck."

It took me several days to track down the fact that it was "Where Is My Mind" off of Surfer Rosa by The Pixies. I bought the album. I listened to it. I had my ass blown out."

Hey man, I can relate... I had heard OF the Pixies, but I never heard any of their work until I saw "Fight Club". And that last scene is a powerful one.

Hell, Kurt Cobain listed the Pixies as one of his main influences, going as far as hiring their audio engineer to get a similar sound on their album.

This guy on Craigslist, though, became a massive fan and was sure that he'd catch them giving a secret concert that he could brag about to all his friends:

"I told all my friends. I told the guys who work at the coffee shop. I told my mom.

I was going to see The Pixies play a tiny club show, special for li'l' ol' me.

My friend Elana and I get to the club 10 minutes before the doors open. There is a girl taking money for tickets. We sidle up to the counter, all music-insider style, and I say, "So, there's a rumor that there's an, ahem, special guest tonight. Is that true?"

"I don't know," she says.

"The Pixies," says Elana. "We heard The Pixies were playing tonight."

"BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHA HAAHAHAHAH AHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA" says the girl. "You are fucking retards. The Pixies? Playing here? For $10? Are you retarded? You are retarded! Hey guys! Look at these retards here who thought THE PIXIES were playing tonight!""

Hey, that's a good April Fool's joke. I may line that up here on Orble!

* this image is from the Wikipedia page on The Pixies

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