Prog-pop: the new dancepunk/freakfolk/fleeting indie scene trend? Unlikely, but I suppose possible if enough bands found themselves with exceptional amounts of time and instruments on their hands. Blueberry Boat, The Fiery Furnaces' prog-pop behemoth, made quite a splash in '04, much to the unfiltered joy of some, myself included, and disgusted chagrin of others - probably including you. The Australian octet known as Architecture in Helsinki seem to want to carve out a niche for themselves in this bizarre, yet fantastic little sub-genre, and they do so magnificently with this year's In Case We Die.
The inclusion of the term "prog" in the title "prog-pop" may lead one to believe that the genre is bloated, pretentious, and perhaps not unlike stuff that your dad would totally dig, but Architecture in Helsinki approach their craft with all the excitement, wonder, and, most importantly, impatient fickleness of a seven-year-old hopped up on pixie stix and jolt cola. The album feels more like 1,000 little good ideas assembled haphazardly than twelve laboriously crafted pop songs. Whether that last sentence sounded like a description of music you would adore or abhor essentially determines what you're going to think of In Case We Die; the album is undeniably of the polarizing variety.
Given the sheer volume of catchy albeit transient melodies present on In Case We Die, Architecture In Helsinki could have probably easily made about three or four records with an average length of around 50 minutes, but they instead chose to consolidate their creativity into one 12-song, 40-minute record. That is not to say that the album feels rushed or dizzying; the songs function as pop songs, just very eclectic, fickle pop songs. It's cute, but not gaggingly so, which is a hell of a lot more than most indie pop bands can boast. They mix the sunny, wide-eyed innocence of the Shins and the out-there charm of Animal Collective with the instrumental variety of Neutral Milk Hotel and The Decemberists (my scene points are now through the roof).
All stupid namedropping aside, In Case We Die is a fantastic, expansive pop record that is busy and dynamic enough to keep any indie kid in occupied delight for weeks. It ranks up there with SMiLE, Blueberry Boat, and pretty much anything in Bjork's canon as one of my favorite experimental pop records.
