Record Label: S/R
Genre: Lo-Fi
Band Link: www.myspace.com/stripmallarchitecture
Buy on Amazon.com

Oddly, the CD’s packaging infers two discs, but only one was included with “Part Two” being promised “later.” My question: how soon is later?

These five tracks are excellent. Stripmall Architecture’s sound falls perfectly between the warm, fuzzy softness of The XX and the cool-but-mellow, hipster electro-rock of The Hundred in the Hands. In other words, awesome.

They don’t have The Hundred in the Hands’ quirky arrhythmia, but they’re livelier than The XX, crafting a dreamlike, lightly electronic lo-fi without becoming an unwanted lullaby. (Well, “There’s Only So Much Light” is somewhat narcotic.) These “Feathersongs” have weight.

Bottom Line: Stripmall Architecture in Helsinki?
Notable Tracks: Radium Girls, Pripyat
Overall Rating: