4Play

Sept. 19, 2007

Architecture in Helsinki – Places Like This – Polyvinyl
Adding an electro-element (and a little more funk) to their happy, poppy sound, Aussie band AIH opens their latest with a crackling keyboard sound and moves forward quickly, catching the album’s first fire with “Heart it Races,” a tropicalia-pop festival of sound. The band continues to use a plethora of interesting instruments in their compositions, among them glockenspiel and any number of wacky percussion sounds -and their lyrics remain as esoteric as ever - but it’s all anchored by their expressive vocal lines, melodic guitar work, and song structure. Highlights on this one include “Nothing’s Wrong,” “Lazy (Lazy),” “Like it or Not,” and the aforementioned “Heart...” - the only catch is that you’ll probably find this the album so nice, you’ll wanna listen to it twice (or more), because it clocks in at a very disappointingly short 30 minutes.

Hot Hot Heat – Happiness Ltd. – Reprise/WEAHHH tapped a trio of big shot producers to helm their latest set - namely, Butch Walker (Avril), Rob Cavallo (Green Day), and Tim Palmer (Bowie, U2). So is this a name-checking grasp at further pop fame, or just an attempt to vary the range of the band’s creativity? Luckily for listeners, it appears to be the latter. Written mostly during the Heat’s world tour (in support of their previous effort, Elevator), the album was approached from a place of more variety, hence the producers and the album’s wide range of moods. There’s the usual chunk of HHH club songs, but there are also deeper, more introspective tracks like “Outta Heart,” with its Theremin and full orchestra; “Harmonicas and Tambourines,” with its pretty tones and dark feel; the epic “So So Cold,” the Duran Duran-reminiscent “Give Up?” and the pining title track.

The National – Boxer – Beggars Banquet
Taking a much more downbeat approach than what they’ve done before, The National have eschewed their more uptempo tracks on this set in favor of a much more melancholy collection. Singer/songwriter Matt Berninger sounds positively morose here, drags and pulls his voice across the backing instrumental tracks - it’s so sad, yet so compelling. The arrangements are dense, and there are more layered backing vocals than on previous efforts, too; you’ll notice the change-up the most on songs “Squalor Victoria,” “Brainy,” “Gospel,” and “Ada,” which actually features none other than Sufjan Stevens on piano. The band may have been labeled alt-country before, but with these songs, they’re almost veering into indie-art-rock territory, an interesting twist for a band so entrenched in their American roots.

The Magic Numbers – Those the Brokes – Astralwerks
The Numbers took their time recording their sophomore disc, the follow up to their Mercury Music Prize-winning debut, and for good reason. This is a carefully constructed album loaded to the top with chunky guitars, the band’s usual (impressively zippy) harmonies, and a good balance of singalongables and more experimental indie-pop compositions. “This is a Song” is the obviously-titled opener, and a song it is, indeed, and a good one, with its low-lying guitar line and glockenspiel comforting Romeo Stodart as he pours his vocals out about a romantic situation. Elsewhere, an undefinable horn sound highlights “Undecided,” “Take a Chance” recollects NYC early ‘90s pop, “You Never Had It” demonstrates the best of the Numbers’ synth skills, and “Goodnight” closes with a surprising venture into a near-folk feel.