In this monthly installment I examine the freshest sounds from the musical underground. All albums are available online through Starcastic or the Tamizdat record store/cafe at Jindrriska 5 (4th Floor).

Efterklang 'Tripper' ( The Leaf Label, 2005)

This 10-piece Danish group play melancholy tunes perfect for solitary listens in the deep, dark night. They have just finished a successful tour of the continent including a full house at the Palac Akropolis in April. They are in the school of Scandinavian shoe-gazer artrock ala Sigur Ros and Mum. The beats are laden with electronic clicks and cuts with melodies dominated by the violin and piano. On top of this the band has a full-time trombonist and trumpet player giving them an “indie-chamber” feel when the random beats are toned down. What is unusual about this album is the use of a choir throughout the songs. I feel they are rather out of place, diminishing the intimacy of the music and fogging out the dense layers produced by this large band. The male and female lead vocals that are softly delivered to this fragile music are more than sufficient.

Because of price constraints they couldn’t afford to bring the choir or lead female singer on tour. In fact, they were sleeping in the dorms at the Clown and Bard hostel that night. I thought they sounded much better live with higher energy. The laptop wankery of directionless blips was sacrificed for a greater presence of their drummer using an unusual drum kit. One of the few times you can make out the lyrics is in the highlight track ‘Monopolist’ with the repeated lines “Excuse me sir,
save me from myself” and haunting violins that make this an anthem for the brooder in all of us. For me this album is too depressing, dwelling in the shadows to
allow for frequent listening. Nonetheless, Efterklang have carved out a very distinctive sound in their first l.p. which can consume your imagination if you allow it.

F.s. Blumm 'Zweite Meer' (Morr Music, 2005)

‘Zweite Meer’ is a rich sedated instrumental effort from the German F.S. Blumm. Aesthetically it is
in the vein of Tortoise but more ambient. This isn’t surprising considering David Grubbs from the Chicago post-rock scene makes an appearance. Guitar, vibraphone, accordion as well as clarinet figure prominently in his simple but pleasant arrangements with spare percussion. All the songs are instrumentals except for the closing song 'Chromakey' where Grubbs sings his vividly surreal lyrics in his rather
nerdy voice.

The album was supposedly influenced by a long road trip he took from Canada to Mexico which is evident in the expansiveness here: the ability he has to let a
song breathe. A few times the album lulls though, with sleepy melodies of no apparent direction. But as a whole this album slowly grows on you, like ivy on brick.
Buy this album because you like music that takes its time, that doesn´t demand your attention but wont bore you either. Rather like the goal that Brian Eno had
when producing his ambient music.

Average user rating

   (0 vote)