Architecture in Helsinki, 'Places Like This' (Polyvinyl)
Big top of sound gets a stranger new voice and multiculti twist.
By Stacey Anderson 08.31.07 3:00 AM
Architecture in Helsinki's fanciful pop patchwork has always been rooted in the playground, but their third album takes a giant step in a new direction. The Melbourne-based sextet mostly supplants their call-and-response giddiness with the hyper, guttural chanting of leader Cameron Bird (who conceived the songs while living apart from the group in a raucous Latino neighborhood in Brooklyn).
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Ben Harper, 'Lifeline' (Capitol)
Tasteful, uplifting guitar mastery - John Mayer, take notes.
By Stacey Anderson 08.31.07 3:00 AM
After last year's Both Sides of the Gun, an ambitious double album split into snappy blues and pensive, symphonic soul, Ben Harper eases into a more fluid, evenly paced groove on his eighth LP.
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Rilo Kiley: Solid Gold
Rilo Kiley wanted their bold, brassy new album to sound like a party. But with the prospect of mainstream success reopening old wounds and triggering self-doubt, can they find it in their hearts to have some fun?
By Strawberry Saroyan 08.23.07 3:00 AM
Jenny Lewis' apartment is a disaster. One might expect the 31-year-old lead singer of Rilo Kiley to have scaled up by now. Nine years into their career, they are the model of the indie band made good -- critical respect, decent sales, soundtrack exposure -- while Lewis' solo debut, Rabbit Fur Coat, was a modest hit last year, with 112,000 copies sold.
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