Live Pics: Architecture in Helsinki + Some Hot Openers

-NP
The Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS - 10/25/07



















Opening acts rarely get more than a side note in one of my reviews, as typically you can find me downing a half-bottle of Captain carside during the majority of the set. As Girlfriend noted in her recent review, however, Architecture in Helsinki selected the perfect complements to their jangly pop paroxysms. You won't need to be blitzed on booze to groove to Glass Candy and Panther (not to be confused with emo-rockers Panthers, vocalist/jirrating mo-fo Charlie Salas-Humara implored us post-show. "Sorry," he confessed afterwards, "I'm really stoned." It's cool, guy. You earned it.)

Panther:



















Writhing On-Stage:



















Posing for Girlfriend After the Show:




















Glass Candy's Ida No Climbs On Some Lucky Guy's Back:



















Glass Candy Gets Groovy:



















Ida No Says "Yes" to Joining the Crowd:




















Architecture's Kellie Sutherland Sings "Wishbone":



















Architecture Rockin' the Encore:

The Crowd Croons Along to "The Cemetery" (Note the Choir Boy-Esque Fellow):

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Live Review: Architecture in Helsinki w/ Glass Candy, Panther

The Bottleneck - Lawrence, KS - 10/25/07

Panther

Hey you! Yeah you, with the dirty mind. Read on...

Two rum and cokes, one cigarette and half a beer into the night I walked in on my new guilty pleasure, Panther. No, no I didn't walk in on them copulating with their eager fans but I did walk in on a very interesting scene. When I said, "guilty," I didn't mean it in the I don't want anyone to know I like these guys fashion. Instead, I meant it to portray how I felt slightly naughty watching their performance. Naughty, in the best sense of the word. As lead vocalist, Charlie Salas-Humara, romped around on stage the crowd commenced their own romping activities. The gyrating singer mixed with the beat power of the drums made for an excellent, energetic show. Panther, now a newly formed duo with the addition of drummer Joe Kelly, whipped out jerky, pop-rock conglomerations that, when mixed with coke, could potentially blow your head off. Their website, panthertouch.com, made a keen observation stating that, "Charlie is Panther, and Panther is some mutant form of Charlie [+ one, Joe Kelly].

Glass Candy

If you're still looking for that perfect way to take off those stubborn extra pounds then I have the workout for you! Glass Candy, another dynamic duo, upped the bar for the evening's festivities. If you have feet or wheels, for those in wheelchairs, and are ready to shake your buns then you must see Glass Candy. Their show was the sensational blend of a classic jazzercise routine and rocking beats. Ida No and Johnny Jewel created their "freestyle" sound using only a synthesizer and a pair of bare feet. If you are what you eat then Glass Candy is a crystalline display of sleek, clean, sweet and tangy melodies.

Architecture in Helsinki

"Give it to me baby!" The "Hold Music" lyric rang true last night as Architecture in Helsinki took the stage. The Bottleneck in Lawrence suddenly transformed into a can of packed sardines. Hordes of loving fans, some too loving (see Side Story Below), came together to celebrate the Thursday night and listen to great music. The headlining band consisted of Cameron Bird, Jamie Mildren, James Cecil, Sam Perry, Gus Franklin and Kellie Sutherland. Following an act like Glass Candy, Architecture in Helsinki rose to the occasion and put on a display of eccentric and electric music. Their myspace page placed them in the "melodramatic popular song, ghettotech, jungle," music category. A suitable category indeed. Their set was upbeat, danceable, and ghettotech-fabulous. It made for a lovely evening.

Side Story Below

*This side story is based on true events. The names of some of those involved have been changed for their protection.*

Crazy Girl #1: Woo! I love Architecture in Helsinki. I'm drunk!

Crazy Girl #2: Hey you should jump on stage and show them how much you love them.

Crazy Girl #1: Okay.

Crazy Girl #1 proceeds to jump on stage and is immediately "gently" nudged off stage by Roady Man.

Meanwhile....

Kellie Sutherland: (to Roady Man) Hey we can't have crazy people jumping up on stage. That was like having a can of mixed nuts with no pecans in it--bad.

Roady Man: Ten-Four

Kellie Sutherland: (to Crazy Girl #1) Hey come here!

Crazy Girl #1: Okay.

Kellie Sutherland: Please, my dearest fan, in the future think before you leap. Thank you and good day. Oh yeah, and don't fuck with our equipment.

Crazy Girl #1: (looking at Crazy Girl #2) Now I'm drunk and sad.

Crazy Girl#2: Lets make a not so smooth exit from the front row and stomp on everyones' toes as we leave.

Crazy Girl #1: Okay.

THE END.

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Featured Concert of the Week

Architecture In Helsinki w/ Glass Candy
Architecture in Helsinki made a splash with 2005's In Case We Die, an album that is best described as pop music for the indie kids that suffer from a severe case of Attention Deficit Disorder. The band's latest album, Places Like This, released last month, sees the band taking a more focused direction, but I can only assume that anything is possible when this band takes the stage.

However, let me be the first to warn you of a possible upstaging that may occur. Let me be clear that I've never seen Architecture in Helsinki live, so I have no idea what they will bring to the table. I have seen Glass Candy twice though, and I know for a fact that they will be bringing their A game. Whether they're playing fuzzed out disco (check out "Beatific", which you can stream/download from their MySpace page) or aping club favorites of yore (think Blondie's "Rapture" minus the rapping, or Indeep's "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life"), Glass Candy will surly have the the Bottleneck's floor bouncing. Though the weather will be cool outside, I highly recommend dressing light 'cause Glass Candy's gonna make you sweat. You've been warned.

Download:
Glass Candy - "Rolling Down the Hills (Spring Demo)
(From the After Dark compilation)

Architecture in Helsinki - "The Cemetery"
(From the In Case We Die LP)

Check Out:
Our Review of Places Like This

Want to know who else is coming to the Midwest? Click here.

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Album Review: Architecture in Helsinki - Places Like This

Official Score: 75%

What the Others Say

Pitchfork: N/A
Tiny Mix Tapes: N/A
Coke Machine Glow: N/A


From the gentle tinnitus of Fingers Crossed to the attention-deficit-darling In Case We Die, emerges Places Like This, Architecture in Helsinki's most confident and, at times, annoying album to date.

From the opening track it’s clear this isn’t your 2005-era Architecture. “Red Turned White” is a no-holds-barred fun house ride. Followed by bongo-beat single “Heart It Races” and equally effervescent “Hold Music,” Places blasts off. I never thought I could compare the band to the B-52s, but somehow they sound like a dead ringer on the latter track. Thankfully the insanity doesn’t last much longer. “Feather in a Baseball Cap” is a trippy, funky turn that serves as a welcome transition from the exuberance of the album’s opening, and signals a decidedly less bombastic final three-quarters.

Aussies Cameron Bird and Kellie Sutherland are more in character on Places than ever before, a perfect complement to the theatrics of the band’s overall sound. Imagine a cracked-out Isaac Brock and Regine Chassagne racing ice cream trucks through your neighborhood.

This brings up my biggest criticism of the album, which is strangely its biggest strength. Its undeniable, balls-to-the-wall approach may mean it receives less time in this listener’s rotation than previous Architecture albums. Places is not the distant hum of “The Price is Right” in your grandmother’s living room – it commands your attention, for the first three tracks anyhow. Maybe that's why mid-album sagger "Underwater" feels like such a downer, like someone letting the air out of your tires while you're still on the racetrack.

The album concludes with “Same Old Innocence,” which features feedback-laced piano evoking album opener “Red Turned White.” Meanwhile Bird delivers his trademark quaver, singing, “It’s the Same Old Innocence.” He suggests that despite the new sound, they’re still the same Architecture. It’s a fitting final track for a band that has staked its career on sunny beats and happy singalongs. After all, it’s that same old innocence that gives Architecture its charm.

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