Efterklang Parades (Leaf)

The Danish sextet known as Efterklang (the Danish word for reverberation) have quietly released a couple of wonderfully subtle, ethereal, electronica albums since 2001, but Parades might finally get the band the attention they deserve outside of their homeland. The band is still focused on softly layered electronic veneers between lush symphonic embellishments and chorus-style vocal arrangements, but there's an oomph here that we've missed before. A sort of urgency drives the songs on Parades, perhaps spurred by the world's more needy palate, or, we hope, by a confidence and comfort in loudness that has previously been withheld.

2004's Tripper opened with glitchy beeps and bells reverberating against a low grumble, as "Foetus" slowly lurched towards the orchestral stroll accompanied by the soft tremble of distant trumpets. Slow giving, that's what Tripper was about. But there's nothing wrong with that, as Efterklang's most reasonable genre-mates, Sigur Ros, claim kingdom over that realm. The popping circuits and itchy progressions of Tripper dovetailed with the more plugged-in instrumentation and softly uttered vocals in an honest and chaste reveal. The builds required a bit of patience, but were always worth it. We could sense what was coming down the pipe, but it crept down slowly. On Parades, the creeping has been replaced with big band marching, and the reveals are epic.

And that's where the magic of Parades outshines Efterklang's previous efforts: not because Springer or Tripper weren't fantastic, but because their developments were more predictable. Who could expect the two minute mark of "Horseback Tenors," its swirling strings leading the way for a gloriously hollered chorus, backed by completely frenetic percussion, marching snare, and horns befitting a queen's entrance? The payoff is completely unexpected but right up front: bare, harsh, and loud.

Efterklang follow this motif throughout Parades, sometimes playing songs that seem to be meant for exactly that, or storming a castle to rescue a damsel. The opening track, "Polygyne," creaks to life in a manner that we've come to expect from the group, instruments gurgling beneath an electronic landscape fit for film. As it emerges, and the bassoon takes the female chorus forward, we are pleasantly surprised to hear the rest of the ensemble awaken as well. Male chorus slowly crescendos, strings stop noodling and pick up with the undercurrent of electronics, and at 2:12, the women wail like an army of fairies. Yes, fairies. Clashing, smashing cymbals quake and the woodwinds defy traditional classical arranging in some kind of obtuse instrumental Morse code until the payoff: a thunderous kick drum suddenly gives the disparate pieces direction. It all makes sense: the build hasn't just given us a sense of relief and completion, it's rounded the edges and unified the rest of the piece. There's a payoff here, it gives you more for less, and it hooks you quickly.

One thing hasn't changed with Parades: the album deserves to be listened to as a complete piece from beginning to end, just as Tripper and Springer do. In some way, Parades demands the full listen even more than previous efforts because of its arch, and the sense that it is a complete story from beginning to end. This isn't too wild a concept: Karim Ghahwagi, a Danish film director, has worked with Efterklang and Anders Trentemøller on visual representations of their songs, and is a graduate of Bard.

Efterklang Official
Efterklang MySpace
Efterklang @ YouTube

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