Efterklang - Magic Chairs

There's nothing remotely "small" about the music from Danish indie art-pop band Efterklang. With a combination of electronics and grand choral passages, ambient rhythms gliding beneath symphonic Sigur Ros-ish melodies, the Copenhagen quartet whose name translates as "reverberation" reached a critical apex in 2007 with their audacious second studio album Parades. What could have become a dreary exercise in pompous artsy treacle became, instead, an impressive and accessible work hailed as "richly rewarding" (Uncut), "gloriously endearing" (The Wire) and "both restrained and wildly dramatic, gently touching and warmly enveloping" (Stylus). This was big, serious stuff but we found Efterklang to be a band with something interesting to say -- furrowed brows can still deliver some understated thrills.

New self-produced album Magic Chairs, arriving February 23 and their first for the 4AD label, is arguably even more ambitious in scope and execution. Lead track "Modern Drift" builds on a repeating Philip Glass-like piano/electronics bed and progressive time signatures, creating dramatic tension that's tempered by Casper Clausen's staccato vocals and the sweeping, grand orchestrations. "Alike" fuses offbeat programmed rhythms to a tapestry of horns, synths and jangling guitar lines for an effect that is oddly soothing and stimulating at the same time. Like any cerebral endeavor, Magic Chairs requires and open mind and an adventurous spirit -- but for those looking for something inventive and just plain different we recommend taking the plunge.

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Efterklang - "Morming Drift" (from the album Magic Chairs)

Efterklang - "Alike" (from the album Morning Chairs)