In Case We Die is not a concept album, but you could liken it to a rock opera. Songs are laced with intense and dramatic twists at every turn. Opera singers bellow. Strings soar. Fireworks explode. Choirs sing out of tune and jungle rhythms come out of nowhere. It isindeed an epic voyage.

After a year of solidly touring around Australia and North America in support of their debut Fingers Crossed, Melbourne’s favorite ramshackle musical posse, Architecture in Helsinki, had become a hardened combo. They’d taken the fragile whimsy and naivete of their studio-oriented debut and fused it with an almost punk energy. The songs were coming from somewhere else. The next album was going to propel their sound to new heights. It was in the depths of Melbournian winter that the eight-piece band nestled into their clubhouse-cum-studio,Super Melody World, armed with a veritable junk shop of instruments and perhaps too many ideas. Thus, the recording process began.

Songs hung in mid-air. Cats meowed into microphones. Plagues of mice were thwarted and way too much spaghetti was eaten. By the time the new year arrived, the studio had turned into a saloon. Some 40 odd humans had passed through it, among them many local music luminaries and several hitherto hidden talents. They played and sang their hearts out, brandishing everything from bassoons to power saws. Every day a new idea was hatched, phone calls were made, then someone who knew how to play the sitar or the steel drum would show up, ready to offer their services in exchange for a slice of pizza and a cup of tea. As a result, there’s a uniquely communal auraabout the songs, a handmade intricacy that is rare on modern pop albums.

One of the most striking traits of In Case We Die is the ease in which it references many eras and incarnations of popular music while retaining that unmistakable "Helsinki Sound." There are tips of the hat to many disparate pop masterminds, as in the Rocky Horror-esque"Wishbone," the Os Mutantes-styled schizophrenia of "In Case We Die (Parts 1-4)," the Fleetwood Mac stomp of "It’s 5!" or the Morriconesque bombast of the opening track, "Neverevereverdid." In Case We Die was/is an ambitious journey, it laughs in the face of "difficult second album," and that ambition more than echoes throughthe disc’s 12 songs from start to finish.

AIH’s stunning sophomore opus was recorded at Super Melody World by James Cecil, produced by the Carbohydrates and mixed by Tony Espie (the Avalanches). In 2004, AIH toured North America, sharing the stage with Death Cab For Cutie, Ben Kweller and Starlight Mints. More recently, in Australia, they were invited to open for David Byrne, Bright Eyes, Polyphonic Spree and Belle & Sebastian. AIH are to return to North America in May/June this year for a comprehensive tour in support of 'In Case We Die'. To check out the video for the latest single "Do the Whirlwind" – and to hear exclusive web-only mixes – www.architectureinhelsinki.com.
Media Inquiries - Brooke Black at Fanatic Promotion
brooke@fanaticpromotion.com
Ph: 212-616-5557