It’s almost Christmas. Sleigh bells aside, it’s horns, glockenspiels and timpani drums that easily define the sound of Christmas – all capable of casting the listener into warm rooms lit by open fires where wet socks and boots sit adjacent to a heavy, old wooden door. Almost.
There are seasonal feelings scattered throughout Efterklang’s Performing Parades: a live CD and DVD package that finds the Danish outfit playing their 2007 album Parade in its entirety. Collaborating with The Danish National Chamber Orchestra, the earthen scratches of violins are juxtaposed with airy vocals giving Performing Parades a dramatic, cinematic quality that, whilst being imaginative for a ‘rock band’, remains conclusively thematic throughout.
‘Polygene’ opens with its warm fifth harmonies and tentative clicks, beeps and squeaks, and it’s not long before the group begin to build with uniquely triumphant plodding that escalates to crescendo. Unusually, for a genre so bombastic, Efterklang sidestep unnecessary pomp, and the simple violin melody on ‘Him Poe Poe’ can attest to that. Delicately rising through the thick wall of acoustic instruments, and well complemented by a simple arrangement, it is Efterklang’s vision, not ambition, which kills off gratuitous grandiosity.
Mads Brauer is responsible for injecting proceedings with healthy doses of electronica and the most successful track to host his contributions is the morose, minor key ‘Blowing Lungs Like Bubble’. Somewhat incomprehensibly adored by the indie glitterati, it’s songs like ‘Caravan’ and album closer ‘Cutting Ice To Snow’ that offer up the most poptastic moments. Hell, the latter even includes sleigh bells…
With a bulk of the DVD reserved for the live performance, it’s unusual that it’s the live recording that makes for mediocre viewing. With average rendering, both the audio and visuals suffer – making the whole staid performance appear rather ‘budget’. With the CD boasting such a glittering recording, it’s a disappointment. Also included on the DVD are seven music videos from Parades along with a 35-minute behind the scenes documentary.
Regardless, it’s about the music, and Karsten Fungal’s orchestral arrangements are so beautifully entwined with Efterklang’s mysterious sounds that the group may have created, not just a record with the potential to be classic, but a sparkling musical meme.
