EFTERKLANG
Magic Chairs
CAD3X01
4AD 2010
10 Tracks. 43mins47secs

Amazon UK: CD | LP | DLD US: CD | LP | DLD Boomkat: CD | LP | DLD iTunes: DLD

Having recently signed to 4AD, after six years in the care of Leaf, for whom they delivered three albums and a handful of EPs, Danish quartet Efterklang have spent the last two and a half years on the road. While Parades had grown organically during lengthy studio sessions, the songs on Magic Chairs were road-tested live during the last year and fine-tuned before the band went in the studio. The basic structure of the songs were laid down by the quartet in Århus, eastern Denmark, before they returned to their Copenhagen studio, once again calling upon a splattering of regular contributors (Peter, Broderick, Heather Woods Broderick, Rune Fonseca Mølgaard, Frederik Teige, Daniel James) to add orchestral textures. The album was mixed in London by Gareth Jones, who has in the past worked with artists as diverse as Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, Mogwai, Tuxedomoon, Diamanda Galas, Wire or more recently Grizzly Bear.

Magic Chairs, a reference to a film by Danish-born filmmaker Jørgen Leth, is a much leaner and more mature affair than its predecessor. Adopting a resolutely traditional verse/bridge/chorus structure for their songs and a more condensed sound, Efterklang have made a clear move toward more accessible pop music. The album is filled with exquisite hooks throughout, rendering songs such as Modern Drift, I Was Playing Drums, Full Moon or Mirror Mirror particularly accessible. Efterklang never take themselves too seriously, anyone who has seen them life can vouch for that, and they still distil humorous touches here and there, most particularly on the Clapping Music-meets-Last Night A DJ Saved My Life oddity that is the thrillingly catchy Raincoats, but one cannot fail to notice that while this new album is very pretty and polished, it doesn’t quite have the same urgency and flamboyance as its predecessors. The songs have lost a lot of their fragility, there is very little left of the orchestrations’ chaotic enchantment, and the vocals have lost much of their visceral aspect, leaving Casper Clausen strangely exposed in the fore.

Compared to the audacious free flowing melodies and orchestration of Parades, this new record is much too pristine and tidy, lacking the primal energy of its predecessor. Parades felt as if it could collapse at any time, and was therefore to be devoured with gluttonous fervour. Magic Chairs is a much sturdier affair, but it is also far less inviting and warm. Taken at face value, it is a particularly fine pop record, one that will undoubtedly gain them a whole new contingent of followers, but Efterklang are in essence a far much more generous band than this album could lead to think, and one can only hope for the rapid return of their enchanted marching band.

3.1/5

Efterklang | Efterklang (MySpace) | 4AD
Amazon UK: CD | LP | DLD US: CD | LP | DLD Boomkat: CD | LP | DLD iTunes: DLD

Modern Drift by Efterklang from Rumraket on Vimeo.

EFTERKLANG & THE DANISH NATIONAL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Performing Parades
BAY69
The Leaf Label 2009
11 Tracks. 56mins31secs

Amazon UK: CD | LP Amazon US: CD | LP Boomkat: CD | LP | DLD

When they released their second album, Parades, back in October 2007, Danish formation Efterklang probably had very little idea that they would literally live on it for two years. Right from the onset, Efterklang have truly come to life performing live, and this was undoubtedly key in their moving from the largely electronic textures of their early releases toward much more acoustic and instrument-based. Their 2007 mini album Under Giant Trees, recorded while the band were on tour, established the blueprint for Parades, released a few months later. A much more ambitious effort than its predecessor, Tripper, published in 2004, the album was recorded with a number of additional contributors, including Peter Broderick and Our Broken Garden’s Anna Brønsted, together with a variety of formations and choirs. Shortly after Parades was released, Efterklang were contacted by Karl Bjerre Skibsted, of DR, the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, with the idea of playing the album in full with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra. The performance took place a year after the album was released, on 26 September 2008 at DR’s Koncerthuset in Copenhagen. The performance was captured both on film and on tape, and is presented in this CD/DVD set.

This performance follows the exact same order as the original album, but the context is very different. Efterklang have performed these songs live a considerable amount of time in the last two years, but they had to do with just a restricted set of musicians to recreate the riches of Parades. While the sheer energy of the band has certainly made up for the shortage of musicians over time, these songs were written with extensive formations in mind. Here, it is as if blood was rushing once again through dry veins, flooding melodies with lush acoustic sounds and powerful orchestral swathes. The versions presented here are quite different from the original. Of course, in the year that Efterklang had been touring, the songs had grown and matured quite drastically, but the performance is also much more vivid and contrasted. The song at times, as on Him Poe Poe, Frida Found A Friend or Caravan for instance, gain here incredible relief, to the point of making the originals sound pale and lacklustre in comparison. This however occasionally obliterate the extremely delicate side of the music of Efterklang a tad. This is perhaps mostly the case on closing track Cutting Ice With Snow, which, on paper at least, sounds the ideal candidate for the orchestral treatment, but which ends up losing part of its subtle undertones, especially in its latter part.

Beside the whole DB Koncerthuset performance, directed by Benjamin Hesseldoldt, showing the orchestra dressed in full Efterklang regalia (pointy hats, odd traditional-looking costumes and even odder make-up) and a stage set designed, all by Nan Na Hvass and Sofie Hannibal, the duo responsible for the covers for Parades and Under Giant Trees and the video for Mirador, the DVD also features a thirty-five minute behind-the-scene documentary and the seven videos of songs from Parades. The documentary, in Danish, with English subtitles available, gives a good insight into the two weeks leading to the performance, from the first rehearsal to moments before the performance, documenting tensions, stress, joy and energy rush resulting of the build up to the main event.

As Efterklang are leaving Leaf for 4AD, with whom they’ll be releasing their third album sometime next year, they are, with this wonderful set and the imminent performance with the Britten Sinfonia at the Barbican next week, closing a long and rich chapter in their young career. Performing Parades is a superb document of what a band with a wild imagination and the will to take things as far as they can, can achieve in a relatively short period of time.

4.6/5

Efterklang | Efterklang (MySpace) | The Leaf Label
Amazon UK: CD | LP Amazon US: CD | LP Boomkat: CD | LP | DLD

Originally hailing from Portland, Oregon, multi-instrumentist Peter Broderick currently resides in Copenhagen, where he moved to toward the end of last year after Efterklang inviting him to join the band for the tour that followed the release of Parades, their album of last year. Broderick has recently released a beautiful mini album on Swedish imprint Kning Disk entirely made of instrumental piano compositions, and his debut album, Float, is about to be released on Type. We caught up with him as he was about to embark on yet another leg of the Efterklang tour to talk about the multiple facets of his work, living in Europe, recording on a shoe string and endorsing a one-man band persona on stage.

Peter, thank you very much for taking the time to answer a few questions for themilkfactory. You have been touring with Efterklang for quite some time now. Where are you at the moment?

Right now I’m on a bus in Copenhagen, heading back home from the studio. Leaving tomorrow for five weeks of touring.

Although you are originally from Portland, Oregon, you currently reside in Amsterdam I believe. What made you come to Europe, and how do like over here? Do you have a certain affinity with Europe?

Actually I’m living in Copenhagen, Denmark at the moment. I moved over here last September when Efterklang invited me to move to Denmark and join their live band. I really love it over here. My work permit runs out in October this year, so at that time I may have to move back to the US, but I’m hoping I’ll be able to figure out a way to stay over here.

At the end of last year, you released a beautiful mini album, Docile, on Swedish imprint Kning Disk, on which you collected ten compositions for piano. How did the project come about?

Mattias who runs Kning Disk contacted me early last year, just offering to send me some of his releases for no apparent reason. When his packaged arrived I fell in love with the music (Erik Enocksson, Jerry Johansson, James Blackshaw, etc.), and also with his design and packaging, most of which he hand assembles. So then we started talking about making a release together, and I told him I had always wanted to make a solo piano album. He said this was perfect because he had planned to start a series of solo piano albums from different artists, and that I could start the series. So the next week I wrote ten short songs on the piano and went into the studio to record them shortly thereafter. And then a couple months later I found out I would be moving to Scandinavia, so when it came time to put the album together, I made a trip to visit Mattias in Gothenburg, and we cut and glued the CDs together. Now he’s one of the best friends I have.

There is a mention of the cover that says that the album was recorded in less than an hour, one night in June last year. Did you record it live?

Well, the reason I recorded it so quickly is a bit funny… I had regularly been doing session work at a really nice recording studio in Portland called Type Foundry, and I was really in love with the old upright piano and two inch tape machine they had there, but I knew I couldn’t afford to go in there and make a record myself. So I asked the engineer if I could buy just one hour of studio time, which sounds a bit ridiculous, but he agreed. So I practiced up on those ten little songs, and when I got into the studio, I had hoped I could record it all in one take, but I messed up on the sixth song. So the first half is all live, and then I had to go back and redo a couple songs in the second half.

You play quite a lot of instruments, from violin, cello, guitar and trumpet to piano, accordion, drums and musical saw. On the cover of Docile, you are quoted saying how playing the piano is one of your favourite past times. The piano is also very present throughout Float, your new album. Would you consider is as your main instrument, and how did you get to play of so many other instruments?

My main instrument is the violin. Or at least it’s the only one I’ve had training on. When I was in high school I started collecting instruments, and slowly trying to teach myself how to play each one. Many of them I’m quite limited on, including the piano, but I enjoy all the different sounds. The piano is my favorite instrument to play by myself because it’s so full and rich. I can just sit down and strike a chord, and put my ear into the piano, and get swallowed up by the sound.

Your music encompasses quite a few genres, from classical to folk to pop occasionally. What made you to want to play music, and compose? Are there particular artists or musicians who have influenced you when you were growing up?

I come from a family of musicians, so I suppose I’ve always been playing music. Certainly I’m influenced by other artists, and I’m always seeking out new music to listen to and getting little ideas from other people, but I also find a lot of inspiration to write music just from day to day experiences and being with family and friends, or being alone.

You also occasionally sing, although this is quite rare on record. Is this a side that you would like to explore in the future? Is your approach to songs different from instrumental music?

When I recorded Float (end of 2006 to beginning of 2007), I think I thought I wanted to make primarily instrumental music. I’ve always made music with singing, but it’s always made me uncomfortable to a certain degree, so I felt safer to record music without singing. But at that time I hadn’t played a single live show by myself. And since then I’ve toured all around Europe playing solo, and I’ve found myself playing a set that’s half instrumental, piano and violin based, and half songs with guitar and singing. I really love the contrast between the two, and I’ve become more comfortable with singing. So, my next album will be based around voice and guitar. After making Float, an album based around piano and strings, I wanted to see if I could make an album with neither. So that’s what I’ve done. I’m not sure yet about the release details, but I expect it to be out sometime later this year.

The press release for Float compares your music to that of Max Richter or Sylvain Chauveau which doesn’t quite do justice to the scope of your work. What do you think of these?

It’s funny you mention that because I haven’t even seen the press release for Float… But I could see why Float would be compared to those two artists, and both of them I absolutely love. I think it’s fine… But I think comparing my newer music with guitars and singing to Max Richter or Sylvain Chauveau might be a bit of a stretch.

You released a seven inch single on Type at the end of last year, and your debut album, Float, is about to be released, once again on Type. How did you get to work with them?

At the time I finished Float last year, I was avidly following Type records. It seemed like I was buying another Type release each week. There’s some really amazing music in the Type catalogue. And then one day I sent them a message on MySpace, just saying I loved the label, and thanking them for releasing wonderful music. John at Type then took the time to go to my page and listen to some music, and then he wrote me a message saying I should send in a demo. So I sent Float to him, and he responded the day he got it saying he’d like to release it. It was perfect. I think I walked around the whole next week with a huge smile on my face.

How do you occupy your days as the release of the album approaches? Are you nervous/relieved/looking forward to it being out?

As you may know, Float has been very delayed. Originally it was planned for September/October 2007. But there have been several problems with mastering and manufacturing and distribution, etc. So, at this point I’m just very ready and happy for it to be released. I’ve been sending out a lot of promos to people I promised to send to months ago. It feels good that things are finally moving along.

There is a continuity throughout the album, with recurring themes in the music, and there also seem to be some continuity in the titles (A Snowflake, A Glacier, Broken Patterns…). What process did you follow while working on the album? What inspired you to do it like this?

Before I went into the studio I had already written the skeleton for the entire album from start to finish. So in that way I see it all as one big piece. And I’ve always liked the idea of expanding upon simple themes in music. Taking one small piece and trying to make the most of it. I think it’s partly a minimalist concept – making one melody into four different songs. And it’s also something I did a lot studying music theory – taking a melody and putting it in different contexts – from a major key to minor, changing the chords underneath, etc. I also draw inspiration from film scores that have returning themes throughout.

You have been touring as part of Efterklang’s live set for a few months now, and you also played on their last album, Parades. How did you get to work with them?

I’ve been an enormous fan of Efterklang for years. Their album Tripper from 2004 was one of my all-time favorites. And I actually just met them by sending a friend request on MySpace. I sent them some CDs of my own, and I’ve been in loose contact with the lead singer, Casper, over the last couple of years. I thought it was amazing that they even knew who I was, and when they sent me an email last June inviting me to move across the world and join the band, I was completely floored. They were just throwing out a wild idea, and to me it sounded like an absolute dream come true. So I basically dropped my entire life in Portland and moved to Denmark. But actually, I didn’t play on Parades. They made the album well before I met them in person. Hopefully now that I’m here they’ll invite me to participate in some new recordings – we’ll see.

Having played with the band for quite some time now, do you think it influences your music in any way?

Yes. I’m inevitably influenced not only by the music, but by the experiences we have together.

I was lucky enough to see you open for Efterklang in London at the wonderful Bush Hall in November last year. When you play live, you record musical phrases that are then looped and layered, which allows you to progressively add various instruments while being on your own on stage. How did you get the idea of working like this?

Well, since I’m only one person on stage, I use a pedal to loop myself so that I can add more layers and make it something bigger. It’s a fairly common thing these days to use a loop station, but I try not to rely on it too much – throwing in a song or two each night that doesn’t use loops at all.

Although you made it look quite easy, it must be quite demanding to perform all the parts yourself. How do you keep track of what’s going on?

When I first started using the loop pedal I had to practice and think a lot, but actually now I don’t really have to think about it. It’s become fairly natural, just like an instrument, which is nice.

There seemed to be an element of improvisation during your set. Do you intentionally leave some free space in your set to take advantage of a particular mood or do you have a set list of songs you want to play when you go on stage?

I do usually write a set list, but there are places in most of the songs where I can basically do whatever I want, and it usually changes depending on the environment of the venue. I think it’s important to try and find a way to do something different at each concert when you’re playing concerts every night – keep things fresh!

Are you planning to tour alone after Float is released?

Right now I have so many touring plans with other bands that I can’t really think about trying to do a big solo tour, but I’ll be doing lots of festivals and things in the summer I think.

Beside your solo project and playing with Efterklang, you are also member of a folk band called Horse Feathers, which is yourself and Justin Ringle. You have released a first album in 2006, and you have just been signed to Kill Rock Stars and are due to release a second album later on this year. Can you tell us more about the project?

Sure, Horse Feathers is a band I was playing in a lot when I lived in Portland. The first album was just me and my old house-mate, Justin Ringle, but then my sister joined the band after that, playing cello and singing, and she’s a big part of the new album due out in the fall. In that band Justin is the lead, and I play accompaniment, primarily on violin, but also with lots of other little things (banjo, mandolin, saw, percussion, voice, etc.) In October I’ll be going back to the States to tour the US with them in support of the new album.

The Portland music scene seems to be quite active at the moment, or at least, there seem to be a lot of focus on what’s happening over there. Do you denote an unusual level of interest about artists who come from the city? Do you feel you are part of it despite living away?

Portland is definitely a very musical city. There were times when I was playing with five or more bands when I lived there. In a way it’s been nice to get away, because when I lived there I was putting so much time into other bands that I hardly had time for my own music, so I feel a bit more focused here. But I’ve made a lot of great musician friends there, and I hope I’m still connected despite being so far away.

Once you’ve finished with this interview, what’s next in your diary?

It’s a busy day today. Tomorrow I leave for tour, so I need to get ready for that, and before I leave I need to have the score finished for a short film by an Irish director. So right now I’m off to work on that!
Email interview April 2008.

Peter Broderick (MySpace) | Horse Feathers (MySpace) | Type Records | Kning Disk

The Efterklang caravan stopped in London’s Bush Hall on Friday, as part of their two-week-long tour of the UK. Taking their Parades album, released a couple of months ago, on an extensive international tour, the Danish quintet and their troops couldn’t have chosen a more appropriate venue. Formerly known as the Carlton Dance Hall, Bush Hall, in the heart of West London’s Sheppard’s Bush, was built at the beginning of the twentieth Century by William F. Hurndall, a publisher, as a gift for one of his daughters. It has since been a soup kitchen during the Second World War, and was, in the fifties and sixties, turned into a bingo hall and amusement arcade, before being turned into a concert venue at the turn of the millennium. The highly ornate ceilings and walls have been preserved, and grand chandeliers offer a testament to the place’s former grandeur.

Prior to the band going on stage, Denis Jones (whose performance was missed by this reviewer), and multi-instrumentist Peter Broderick were in charge of the warm up sessions. The latter delivered a blinding solo performance and managed to practically steal the evening. Hailing from Portland, Oregon, Broderick plays a wide range of instruments, including, but not restricted to, piano, violin, guitar, musical saw and drums, and also sings. His performance began with a series of violin swathes, played and recorded, then looped while he added more layers, before switching to the piano and continue building up his wonderfully evocative pieces. Melancholic, yet inspiring, Broderick’s music had a rather busy Bush Hall in awe. His dexterity at developing pieces out of nothing, building them into full entities, captivated and engaged his audience intensely. Toward the end of his set, he gave an interpretation of a song taken from the soundtrack of a Swedish movie. Having built up vocal harmonies and layers of accompaniment on the piano, he invited the entire live formation of Efterklang on stage to join in with the singing, and promptly got the audience engaged too. Broderick has just released his first single on Type, with an album to follow in the new year. If this live performance and the tour CD which sold out in minutes at end, are anything to go by, he is one of the talents to watch in 2008.

Following a short break, Efterklang and friends took over the stage, all, apart from pianist Anna Brønsted, wearing black shirts and breeches. The usual formation of Mads Brauer, Casper Clausen, Thomas Husmer, Rune Mølgaard and Rasmus Solberg was augmented with trombonist Niklas Antonson, Anna Brønsted and Broderick on violin and, toward the end of the show, drums. Kicking off with a testosterone-fuelled Polygyne, which had singer Clausen frantically tormenting a set of drums while organised chaos was taking shape being him, the Efterklang machine was soon speeding ahead at full steam, barely stopping to catch their breath between songs. Reading through the majority of Parades, from the highs of Mirador, Horseback Tenors and Caravan to the elegant simplicity of Him Poe Poe and Cutting Ice To Snow, and injecting an ounce of Under Giant Trees (Himmelbjerget) before turning their attention to a few old pieces, the formation delivered a very enthusiastic and energetic set.

Stripped down from their orchestral sheen, the Parades songs were seemingly rougher and edgier, with Solberg and Brauer left to fill in the gaps with added guitar and electronic textures, and Clausen to superimpose drums and percussions. Mirador and Horseback Tenors in particular were delivered with an urgency that had very little echo in the band’s discography. This certainly didn’t work against the band though, and a Bush Hall filled to the brim showed its appreciation. Older compositions, amongst which Swarming stood out undeniably, provided the band with an opportunity to give the electronic textures, clicks and static crackles that characterised their early work an airing and remind the audience of the journey covered in by the band in the last three years. By the time they came back for an encore, delivering a heart-warming Chapter 6, Efterklang had once again Bush Hall singing its heart out, leaving the audience enchanted and inviting them to say hello in the foyer after the performance.

Efterklang have, with Under Giant Trees and Parades, delivered two of the most fascinating and compulsive record this year, but the supreme complexity of the latter could have proved rather difficult to transfer to the stage. As it stands, Efterklang have managed to do this rather well, and if the performance felt at time slightly chaotic, it is surely because, after spending much time working on finely tuning their studio pieces, Efterklang are now indulging in much deserved spontaneity, and put it to rather excellent use.

Efterklang | Peter Broderick (Myspace) | The Leaf Label | Rumraket | Type Recording

EFTERKLANG
Parades
BAY58CD
Rumraket / The Leaf Label 2007
11 Tracks. 48mins59secs

Formed in Copenhagen, Denmark, at the end of 2000 by Mads Brauer (electronics), Casper Clausen (vocals, various instruments), Thomas Husner (drums, percussions and trumpet), Rune Mølgaard (piano) and Rasmus Stolberg (guitar and various instruments), Efterklang, which translates as reverberation, appeared on the international scene with debut album for Leaf, Tripper, in 2004, although they had previously released an EP the previous year on their own imprint, Rumraket. With Tripper, Efterklang painted intimate soundscapes from clicks, statics and environmental electronics upon which hung orchestral waves and occasional acoustic flourishes, with male and female vocals tightly intertwined with the instrumental parts and a Greenlandish choir adding a further emotional touch to the quintet’s ambitious boreal songs. Followed a digital-only EP, Swarming, in 2005 and a very limited one-sided LP in 2006. Earlier this year, the band returned with Under Giant Trees, a magnificent mini album recorded last year while on tour.

On Parades, Efterklang dress their ephemeral pop songs in much more precious and grand attires. The quirky electronics and timid orchestrations have been relegated to the back, replaced by rich organic orchestral tones applied in generous brushes. The quintet have surrounded themselves with no less than thirty musicians, including regular live contributors plus a string quartet, a brass quartet and three different choirs. Far from being the result of a continuous effort, Parades is the fruit of months or trials and errors during which layers were added, subtracted, developed in various ways before each song could eventually take shape. This results in incredibly detailed and precise sound formations with dense layers and variations, as demonstrated on opening piece Polygne. The song sets off with rarefied particles of strings, but soon a choir washes over and the piece grows in stature, served by a melody rich in twists and turns and a superbly controlled orchestration which sees in turn a strings quartet, a choir and a lone piano lead, Clausen’s hushed vocals floating slightly in the back of the scope.

With Mirrador, Him Poe Poe and Horseback Tenors, Efterklang only build on this original sonic firework by introducing sweeping brass, organ, plucked harp strings, crystalline pianos and choral eruptions, each piece appearing more ornate and complex than the one before. This however only contributes to the songs being more consistent and accentuates the enchanting nature of the band’s music. A bit like an old animated movie triggers forgotten childhood memories, the luxuriance of the soundtrack put together by Efterklang acts as a deflector from reality.

Following a short piano interlude (Mimeo), Frida Found A Friend pushes in more experimental terrains. While the band still make good use of the orchestral arsenal at their disposition, they give their crispy electronics an airing for a moment, but as the song progresses and Clausen finds a welcoming ground for his lyrical flakes, it is the choir which becomes predominant, waxing and waning with the instrumentation in the backdrop. Later, Blowing Lungs Like Bubbles is another delicate slice of frosty pop, which, like a fragile thread of icy silk caught between two branches, links the contrasted grounds of Maison De Réflexion and the wonderfully ecstatic Caravan, which is not without recalling Sufjan Stevens’ Come On! Feel The Illinoise!. With hints of dissonant string work and much more subtle variations in its central theme, the instrumental Illuminant takes this album in a slightly more introvert mood, and the melancholic opening of Cutting Ice To Snow could lead to think that the album is about close on a down note, but the band injects a last blast of energy by bringing a relentless beat and all joining in with Clausen on vocal duties for a rather stunning finale.

With Parades, Efterklang have transcended their original sound and considerably developed the scope of their music.. As the band’s records become more ambitious with each release, Efterklang seem to carry them with increasing confidence and maturity. Parades is, quite simply, a masterpiece.

5/5

Efterklang | Rumraket | The Leaf Label
Buy: CD | LP | iTunes

A little over three years ago, a formation answering to the mysterious name of Efterklang and hailing from Denmark appeared with their debut album, Tripper, and rapidly gathered critical acclaim and respect. The re-release of the band’s debut EP, Springer, originally released in 2003, a year before the album, and a limited edition one-sided LP, confirmed the band as one of the most interesting acts to have come out of Denmark. Following the release of the superb Under Giant Trees EP earlier this year, Efterklang return with their second album, Parades, on which they have developed an entirely new approach, more focused on acoustic instrumentation. In this interview, Casper Clausen and Rasmus Stolberg talk about what influences them, how their new album came to life, running their own record label and playing live is like playing football.

You formed Efterklang in 2001. How did you all meet and how did the idea of forming the band come up?

Mads & Rasmus know each other from kindergarten and have played in bands together since fifth grade. In high school they befriended Casper and started playing together with him as well. After a couple of years their small hometown/island in the countryside felt too small and without much planning it was decided to move to Copenhagen the capital… We searched for musicians and through friends we met Thomas and Rune in December 2000. That was the start of Efterklang. All five of us spend years rehearsing and writing together until we felt ready to share the music with others. This was more than two years later.

We had no specific “idea” about the band before we started. The only thing we cared about was the wish to try to make music we could call our own.

How would you describe your music to someone who has never heard it?

We would try to explain that the music is experimental and very multi layered with a vast number of different instruments, but also very accessible and melodic. We think our music has romantic tendencies and is a sort of adventurous eccentric pop music.

Who has influenced you in your work?

In recent years it has been Spirit Of Eden by Talk Talk, Scott Walker, Animal Collective, Sufjan Stevens, Clogs, Popul Vuh, Einstürzende Neubauten, Arvo Pärt, Xiu Xiu, Moondog, Joe Meek and many other great musicians and artists. Filmmakers like Werner Herzog, Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch and The Brothers Quay also keep inspiring us.

Your first album was very well received both by the press and by the public. How did you react to the reception your music received?

At that time we did not know what to expect. We all felt we had made a good album, but we were quite awestruck by the reaction we received. It was a nice thing to experience.

Earlier on this year, you released a mini album, Under Giant Trees, which was conceived and recorded while you were touring. Does it mean that it was a very different record from the others for you?

Yes the songs were written as an eight-piece live band and debuted on stage. The way we have made Parades is different in the way that we have not been able to play them as a band at anytime during the recordings. Right now we are learning to play them as a live band. We like both of these ways of making music.

Your new album, Parades, is out pretty soon. Your sound has evolved quite a bit from Tripper, on which you used a fair bit of electronics, to now where the focus is much more on acoustic instruments. Can you tell us how you worked on the album, and whether the recording process was very different from Tripper?

As you say, Tripper was mainly an electronic record where we used many acoustic instruments to create the whole. Parades can be described as an acoustic record where we use electronics and which is very electronic in the way it is produced. We basically wanted the album to be more dynamic and the overall sound to feel more textured and acoustic…

You’ve worked with a lot of people over eighteen months for the new album. How do you keep track of what you want to achieve?

Part of it are dreams that come true about having a string quartet and a choir recorded in a church for example, part of it is trial and error. A lot is well planned and recorded after quite a detailed plan.

There is a very dreamy feel to the whole album, with very rich soundscapes and multiple vocal and melodic layers pretty much all the way through. What did you have in mind when you started working on the album, and is the result close to this or did you find that you went in directions you hadn’t expected?

The album pretty much took its form along on the way. It started out being small sketches and ideas on our computer. We started adding new pieces to these loose ideas or simply combined some of them to one structure. After a period of messing around with all sorts of combinations and experiments, it felt like some sort of an image was appearing. Kind of like putting a grand puzzle together, while at the same time not knowing what the finished result would look like. I mean we expected making something like this album turned out, but we didn’t have a clear vision when we started.

How do you work on new compositions? Do you have a set way of working, and is this usually a collective process?

It is mainly Mads and Casper who compose the songs, but these compositions are usually based on recordings that all members take part in. For instance this could be a song build on a piano piece/idea by Rune or simply a few of us playing around with some instruments while the tape is running. While the songs are progressing we all take part in brainstorming ideas and playing the additional instruments.

Danish artist Nan Na Hvass created the artwork for both Under Giant Trees and Parades. How did you come across her work and how did you decide to get her to do these covers?

Nan Na and Rasmus meet each other at a party about three years ago. Nan Na thought Efterklang was an a cappella boys choir when Rasmus bragged about it. They have been together ever since and this is the way we came across her work. She has taken our press-photos over the last years, she has designed Rumraket.net for us and most important these two fantastic sleeves. We wanted something imaginative and layered that would send a message about the many hours, and thoughts that have gone into making this music. Nan Na succeeded in making the artwork beautiful, magic and dense at the same time.

Your first EP was released in 2003 on Rumraket, your record label, before being picked up by Leaf. Did you originally set up the label to make it easier to release your music or did you already have the intention to promote other artists?

No plans in the beginning. In fact we invented Rumraket to make Springer look more important. We made the 500 copies to sell to friends mainly and to send to record labels and concert promoters – we had the impression it would look more professional if there was a label name on the disc. Later on a lot of plans emerged!

How did you get involved with Leaf?

While we were making Tripper we posted out work in progress and rough-cuts to a select group of labels. Leaf got in touch just as we were about to release it on Rumraket. There was a lot of trouble with getting them to Denmark to see us perform live. It never happened actually but Robin Rimbaud (AKA Scanner) saw us and gave his stamp of approval to Leaf.

You also take care of the management of the band’s career yourselves. Is it important for you to retain as much control over the band as possible and why?

We have often been described as control-freaks in regards to the music we make. Perhaps this also goes for all the things around the music. The main reason that we take care of our own business is because we have a member who enjoys doing this and who is as good as most professional managers and such people.

The mini album you released on Leaf earlier this year, Under Giant Trees, was a limited release, and you also released a very limited one sided LP on Burnt Toast Vinyl. Why did you choose to limit the number of copies for these?

It is nice to make special limited editions. It makes it possible to do special things with artwork and such. We used to make handmade covers for our old records. We would love to start doing that again – it is a question of having the time to do it. When a release is limited it also makes the whole thing feel more as a nice gem or something.

Through Rumraket, you regularly release records by new artists. You released the first Grizzly Bear album for instance, and in recent months, records from Slaraffenland, Swedish sisters Taxi Taxi! and now American musician Canon Blue. How do you choose to release an artist, and are you all involved in the running of the label?

It is primarily Rasmus who is in charge of the actual running of the label. We all discuss the music and we all have to agree on the artists we sign. We found Canon Blue on MySpace same thing goes with Taxi Taxi! Erik Levander and Slaraffenland are our friends in Copenhagen, and they happen to make some of our favorite music. Grizzly Bear emailed us a long time ago and asked for a remix. We agreed to do it and asked if we could release their album in Europe in return.

How did you react when Grizzly Bear signed to Warp?

When they signed with Warp we were quite proud. It was sort of a proof for us that we have good ears.

One of the tracks from Tripper, Collecting Shields, was recently included on a compilation CD put together by author John Connolly, accompanying his most recent book, The Unquiet. The CD collects songs that played a role in the book or inspired him to write. What did you think of the project, and have you read the book? Did you feel a connection with your music?

We only have one copy and Thomas is stalling it. We should get him to pass it on ASAP. This is embarrassing! But we loved the idea and the project! We wish more writers would do such things. All of us have examples of records we have listened to while reading a certain book and sometimes the two art forms just melt into one…

Would you consider working on a soundtrack, and what kind of films would you like to score?

Mads and Casper have already scored a Danish animation feature by Anders Morgenthaler and we hope to be able to work on projects like that again. If any directors are reading this then please get in touch!

You have toured quite regularly since the release of Springer and Tripper. Do you enjoy playing live more than recording?

The way we record and play live is very different. We enjoy both forms. One thing, which is nice about playing live, is the feeling of playing a song together, eight people as one big united creature. Our recordings are often much more fragmented and are more like trying to finish a very confusing computer game. You are not sure where you are going and you have to invent things and solutions along the way to succeed. Playing live is like playing football together.

You are just about to embark on quite a long tour to support the release of Parades, and you will be joined by three additional musicians on stage. What can we expect of Efterklang live this time round?

It is actually four extra musicians this time. We have expanded. One thing to look forward to is that we now can perform our choir arrangements live. We have 6 gifted singers in the band now and one is a girl so we can finally also do the male/female vocals that can be heard on our records. The new live show is more energetic, raw and sometimes quite rocking in our own way of course. We won’t bring visuals this time (at least not for the first part of the tour), which means we will be performing more this time. No shoegazing.

How do you think Efterklang will continue to evolve? Do you already have an idea of which direction you want to go?

We are talking about directions or ideas we would like to try-out. But first we need to get some distance with the recording of Parades and also get the tour going before we start thinking of new recordings.

Parades is out on 15 October on Rumraket/The Leaf Label
Email interview with Casper Clausen and Rasmus Stolberg, September 2007

Efterklang | Rumraket | The Leaf Label

EFTERKLANG
Under Giant Trees
DOCK46CD
The Leaf Label 2007
05 Tracks. 29mins11secs

Copenhagen-based outfit Efterklang caused something of a stir as they deployed their elegant pastoral pop songs over the course of Tripper, their debut album, released in the autumn of 2004 on Leaf. In just under an hour, the quintet, formed of Mads Brauer (electronics), Rune Mølgaard (piano), Thomas Husmer (drums) and multi instrumentists Rasmus Solberg and Casper Clausen, the latter also assuming vocal duties, hung up beautiful crafted songs set in scintillating backdrops of pianos, strings and found sounds. The album followed a previous EP, Springer, originally published on the band’s own Rumraket imprint in 2003 before Leaf released it early again in 2005. Efterklang have since released a very limited one-sided vinyl EP at the end of 2006.

Under Giant Trees comes in a fold out packaging with stunning illustrations from Danish artist Nan Ha Hvass, who captures the spirit of the music particularly well here. The five tracks featured on this mini album were devised as additional pieces to be performed during the band’s 2005 tour and were recorded in the band’s studio when Efterklang returned to Copenhagen. Moving away from the naïve melodies of previous releases, these are sweeping songs for drunks and sailors, torn between the somber atmospheres of Matt Elliott and the cinematic melancholy of Yann Tiersen. Falling Horses and Towards The Bare Hill especially stagger over emotional melodies and appear to progress with no particular aim as melodies and orchestrations revolve unsteadily around each other, but they are finely tuned indeed and crafted in the most exquisite fashion. Himmelbjerget waxes and waning gracefully between soft string work and orchestral grandeur, while Hands Playing Butterfly reveals a much more nocturnal tone as a lonely piano snakes its way through sparse string work. The album concludes with the delightful Jojo, which somewhat fails in its mission to bring the listener gently back to reality, flourishing instead with increasing gleam and panache as the end nears.

For this release, the delicate sound formations which was at the heart of the band’s early work have largely been replace with ambitious melodic structures and rich orchestrations, but they are still heard furtively lurking in the background, emerging at the first sign of a calm moment, only to be buried under more ambitious arrangements again. As Efterklang push deeper into their magical sonic world, Under Giant Trees is a magnificent appetiser to the follow up to Tripper, due out toward the end of the year.

Explore: Efterklang | The Leaf Label
Buy: CD | LP | iTunes