Review: Efterklang at Mercury Lounge, NYC

Efterklang - Mirador from Rumraket on Vimeo.

The Danish band Efterklang first came to my attention as a recommendation on my eMusic account. I took a listen to the sample clips from their 2007 release, Parades, and I liked what I heard: playfully melancholy melodies, vocals ranging from intimate whispers to belted-out multi-part harmonies, and a broad palette of sonic textures produced by electronic and acoustic instruments. Still, I couldn't commit to buying the album that day...I was interested, but I wasn't smitten.

My second rendezvous with Efterklang was last night, when they played NYC's Mercury Lounge. I missed the first two acts (Oh Land and Shilpa Ray & Her Happy Hookers), but I was just in time for Peter Broderick's solo set. Broderick, a multi-instrumentalist, built compositions of looped samples. He'd play a few bars on guitar - or violin, or piano - and loop it, then play another part over that sample. Most of the songs were sparse, incorporating two or three instrumental layers, but on occasion he built sound over sound to intense effect. Broderick is also a member of Efterklang's line-up for this tour.

Efterklang's live show had some surprises. The elements that I liked from the album were present - the textures, the melodies, the everything-but-the-kitchen-sink instrumentation - but the balance was tipped from the delicate, lovely end of the spectrum over to the noisy, joyful, anxious, hedonistic side. There wasn't any loss of quality control; even the a capella vocal harmonies of Cutting Ice to Snow were impressively tight, and this at the end of the night. But I was most surprised by a phenomenon I have never seen at a NYC indie rock concert before: people were moving and smiling. Leaving the show, I felt happy. So that merits my heartfelt recommendation, and an album purchase, too.

Efterklang is playing a few more shows in North America. Info, videos, and free mp3 downloads are available on their website.


Efterklang - Caravan from Rumraket on Vimeo.