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Efterklang
Denmark
Hailing from Scandinavia, Efterklang takes its name from the word for "rememberance", which also translates to mean "reverb[eration]". After striking critical success with their first few releases in the vain of minimal electro, all produced with extreme attention-to-detail and leaning toward the experimental, their newest album Magic Chairs, released in late 2009, finds the band as likely to use various forms of percussion to evince emotion as synthesizers and horns. It is a deeper, more mature and anthemic sound that takes vocal cues from Britpop and 80's Soul, even while staying true to their roots in mood-music and the heavily layered sound they have cultivated along with stylistic peers such as Mum and Sigur Ros. The jury is still out among longtime fans inasmuch as this album represents a marked departure from the undeniable beauty of their previous work, Parades, but everyone agrees it is more than worth the listen. Perfect for headphones...Peter Broderick
Portland, OR / Europe
Splitting his time being both a prolific solo artist and an invaluble touring musician in Efterklang (see above--ha! Synergy!), PDX's Peter Broderick is less a conventional songwriter than he is a composer of intricate melodies. Garnering comparisons from everyone from Max Richter and Leonard Cohen to conteporaries like Guy Garvey (of Elbow fame), no one comparison can really do his sound justice. In Broderick's hands, a gentle finger-picked guitar line becomes a melodic force of nature, gliding through the air to collide with his hushed vocals, and crashes to earth to explode in a cacophony of solemn beauty...or something. Long story short: you need to hear this. Check out his 2nd solo album, Home. Perfect for...pretty much everything.Cock and Swan
Bothell, WA
Johnny and Ola of Cock and Swan have never described their music to me. I have often thought that it might be interesting to hear them describe just what it is that they try to put on record, if only to find out if they hear the same thing as the rest of us. They fit in well with this group of artists, though, in that the overall mood of the music is similar--but where Efterklang has somewhat moved on from electronica, and Broderick typically only uses it for atmospheric effect, Cock and Swan fully embrace electronic instrumentation. They also marry it with "old-fashioned" instrumentation in a way that gives new meaning to both methodologies. Their newest work, Unrecognize, just out this Spring, showcases them at their most dynamic--with subtle shifts in tempo that give way to grand sea changes in overall mood, along with the most sophisticated lyrics/vocals the pair have done yet. Along with the chillout-style techno more prevalent in their past work, the two have also developed their electronic influences to bring out hints of dub, happy-house, drum'n'bass, and other synthetic delights that only augment their already impressive repertoire. Perfect. Period.So...which one of these is your new favorite band...? Come see me, let's talk some music!
ROOOAAAARRRR!!!!!
--TRx
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