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Efterklang - Magic Chairs released this week
Efterklang : Magic Chairs released this week
22nd February 2010

Newly signed to 4AD, Efterklang make their label debut with Magic Chairs, their third full-length studio album, available from this week.

Since 2000, the Copenhagen-based quartet (plus an ever evolving number of collaborators) have been quietly honing their craft, fusing left-of-centre electronic beats with grand orchestral gestures. Self-sufficient by nature and necessity, the band have until now, always written, recorded and produced every element of their music from the comfort of their Copenhagen bunker. In this time, they have also run their own label Rumraket label, working with the likes of Grizzly Bear, amiina and Slaraffenland, successfully making sense of both careers.

So far, the results have been nothing short of revelatory; in particular, 2007’s hugely ambitious Parades, an album that was difficult to define but even harder to fault, it raised their profile enormously and with Magic Chairs, they continue their evolution, exploring previously uncharted territory. Taking inspiration from the great purveyors of rock and pop music who revelled in the joys of a simple pop melody, Efterklang set about stripping back their own music to its basic core, road-testing new tracks at live shows before committing them to tape.

Like everything else, the recording process was also to be a brand new experience and unlike the lengthy gestation of Parades, recording for Magic Chairs was a relatively brief and straightforward business.

Removing themselves from their home city and heading to Aarhus’ Feedback Recording Studio, the band recorded basic tracks as a band (drums, bass, guitars and piano), replicating the live set-up from where the songs had initially taken form. Later, back in Copenhagen, orchestral flourishes were added and guest musicians were called upon (including their touring band members - Peter Broderick, Heather W. Broderick, Frederik Teige and Daniel James). For even greater clarity of sound, British engineer and producer Gareth Jones (Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Depeche Mode, Interpol, Mogwai, Grizzly Bear, Wire and more) was drafted in for mixing duties to work alongside their in-house electronics wizard, Mads Brauer.

The result is an intimate and immediate record that exudes warmth. The grandiose classical structures heard so prominently and admired so highly in previous albums Tripper and Parades have been replaced by something far more streamlined, deconstructed and altogether melodious. Opening track ‘Modern Drift’ is a statement of intent with its intricate and looping arpeggios whilst ‘I Was Playing Drums’ is arguably their most accessible pop song to date, the echoes of its refrain linger irresistibly in the ear. Magic Chairs still bears the occasional signature moment (an electronic buzz here, a choral flair there) but all told, it is an album that is an even bolder step forward.

PRESS QUOTES:
"A miraculous conservatoire pop opus." MOJO (****)
"It's impossible not to enjoy." Rock Sound (9/10)
"A superb record from one of the world's most uniquely-minded bands." BBC
"Beautifully composed." Mail On Sunday (****)
"This is the kind of record Coldplay and Brian Eno should have made." NME
"This distilled Efterklang is premium strength stuff." Clash (8/10)



EFTERKLANG TOUR DATES 2010:

MARCH
2 - Philadelphia, PA / First Unitarian Church
3 - New York, NY / Le Poisson Rouge
4 - Boston, MA / TT The Bears
5 - Montreal, Canada / La Sala Rosa
6 - Toronto, Canada / El Mocambo
7 - Detroit MI / The Pike Room
8 - Chicago, IL / Lincoln Hall
11 - Seattle, WA / The Triple Door
12 - Vancouver, BC, Canada / Biltmore
13 - Portland, OR / Doug Fir
15 - San Francisco, CA / Bottom Of The Hill
16 - Los Angeles, CA / Spaceland
18 - SXSW Festival / Austin, TX
19 - SXSW Festival / Austin, TX
20 - SXSW Festival / Austin, TX

APRIL
5 - Norway / TBA
7 - Helsinki, FI / Korjaamo
8 - Tallinn, Estonia / Von Krahl Theatre
10 - Stockholm, SE / Strand
14 - Århus, DK / Voxhall
15 - Aalborg, DK / Studenterhuset
16 - Göteborg, SE / Brewhouse
17 - Copenhagen, DK / Store VEGA
20 - Brighton, UK / Concorde 2
21 - London, UK / Shepherds Bush Empire
22 - Oxford, UK / O2 Academy
23 - Edinburgh, UK / Cabaret Voltaire
24 - Belfast, UK Black Box
25 - Dublin, IE / Whelan’s
27 - Bristol, UK / Metropolis
28 - Paris, France / Nouveau Casino
29 - Tourcoing (Lille), France / Grand Mix
30 - Saint Nazaire (Nantes), France / VIP

MAY
1 - Pau, France / Centrifugeuse
2 - Barcelona, Spain / La [2] de Apolo
4 - Rome, Italy / Init
5 - Bologna, Italy / Covo / Rocker Festival
6 - Basel, Switzerland 1.Stock
7 - Germany TBA
8 - Berlin / Astra Kulturhaus
9 - Athens, Greece / Rodeo Live Club
11 - Cologne, DE / Gebäude 9
12 - Hamburg, DE / Knust
13 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands / Rotown
14 - Nijmegen, The Netherlands / Doornroosje
15 - Brussels, BE / Les Nuits Botanique at Cirque Royal
22 - Malmö, SE / Babel / support TBA
28-29 - Neustrelitz, DE / Immergut Festival

AUGUST
14 Haldern Pop Festival, Germany

www.efterklang.net
www.myspace.com/efterklang
www.4ad.com/efterklang

Listen and embed the three-track Efterklang player below: