Efterklang - The thousand colors of a Nordic mutation

To mark the release of “Magic Chairs“, we retrace, through the words of guitarist Rasmus Stolberg, the singular journey of a band that, across the space of just three albums and a couple of significant EPs, has made constant transformation its only recognizable trait. From the Nordic-flavored electronica of their debut “Tripper” to the orchestral fascinations of “Parades”, up to the accentuation of a highly distinctive pop streak, we try to understand the reasons behind the Danish band's relentless sonic exploration, in its twin dimensions of studio and live performance.   

How did the original nucleus of the band come together? What are the main artistic backgrounds of the founding members?

We formed the band when we were very young, so we don't really have any particular background: Efterklang is our first and only artistic project.

After the early days, the number of people involved in the group gradually expanded, particularly on “Parades“ and in the live lineup. Is there any substantial difference between how you present yourselves live compared to in the studio?

On the new album “Magic Chairs” we tried to bring together the way the record was made and the way we play live. Back in the days of “Tripper” and “Parades”, the studio setup and the live setup were two very different things. Usually in the studio we can experiment more with how we produce our music, whereas when we're on stage we just want to enjoy playing and actively connect with the different situations we find ourselves in.

Speaking of live collaborators, among them are also the two extremely talented Broderick siblings: how did you get in touch with them? How has their contribution as multi-instrumentalists shaped the band's sound? 

They're a perfect fit for our band, since they both play many different instruments and understand our music perfectly, so their contribution is really important. We found Peter by chance many years ago on Myspace, or actually maybe he found us, and then through him we met his sister Heather.

Your debut album “Tripper“ was much closer to a certain dreamy electronic formula shared with other Nordic bands. Later on, clicks and blips and various bits of noise were replaced by orchestral touches entrusted to strings, horns and percussion: what brought about this change? Was it a conscious choice, or did it all start somewhat by chance, with an unexpected opportunity to broaden your sonic palette?

We're constantly trying to renew the way we express ourselves, but this happens in a fairly rational way. Every time we make an album we learn something new and draw new inspiration, which is then distilled into the content of the next record. “Magic Chairs”, in fact, was heavily influenced by the many shows we played after the release of “Parades” in 2007.

And your idea of music, let's say the “meaning” of the band. Has it changed in parallel, or has it basically stayed the same as always?

Our idea of music is also subject to constant change. At the beginning we made an effort to define what Efterklang was or wasn't; now, though, we've learned that whatever we try to do will always be something identifiable and traceable back to the band, thanks to our greater closeness and mutual understanding.

Beyond the instrumentation, a certain shift in “attitude“ also seems to have taken place along your artistic path, from something more shy and reflective at first to something now very colourful and extroverted, especially in your electrifying live shows: was that a deliberate stylistic choice or the result of a different approach to music?

Our attitude has always been positive, because we're generally happy people, but I think we've managed to convey a positive image of ourselves both on record and live without coming across as too cheerful or superficial, or at least that's what we try to do. At the beginning we tried to avoid anything that might seem light or pop, because we felt it was in some way alien to us. Now, though, we're more relaxed and we actually enjoy using that kind of element too.

You're not the only band in recent years to have undergone a similar evolution: from more withdrawn, melancholic music to a brighter, more collective dimension. Do you think this shift reflects a change in your everyday lives, or in the way people relate to music today?

We think it depends on how the band relates to music today. We never really overanalyse things: when we find some inspiration we simply try to follow it, and we like exploring it by putting it into music.

The many horns and percussion in “Parades“ call to mind folk legacies quite common in Northern European musical traditions, but also something more Central European. Are there musical traditions you feel connected to? If so, is your interest in them purely stylistic, or does it involve a broader cultural context?

It's more of an intuitive matter, a question of sensibility, simply because we like music, all kinds of music. That's why we don't engage in intellectual speculation about our own music or anyone else's - we just try to appreciate it, immersing ourselves in it like children. So we use our tastes and our energies to bring back into our music the elements we like the most.

Do you find traces of Denmark in your music? Not just of Danish musical tradition, but also of landscapes, climates, ways of life...

Definitely not. Denmark is as flat as a pancake, whereas we believe the horizon of our music is far richer and more varied!

What are the most important emotions for you, or the ones you try to portray in music?

We only have a perception of music, we never describe feelings. Or rather, we inevitably do, but without being aware of it. And in any case, we don't think of music in those terms.

The sonic richness of the many pieces that make up “Parades“ (a bit like the pieces of its wonderfully colorful artwork) found the perfect finishing touch in performing the album with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra: how did you, as an “indie“ act, come into contact with such an “official“ institution? Do you think the orchestral dimension is now the one that best suits your music?

We were really lucky! We already had something like this in mind, but we dropped the idea when we realized how expensive it would be. Then, about six months later, they were the ones who got in touch with us, because they wanted to play with us!! So we became part of their annual schedule (and its budget), which made it possible to bring our idea to life.

I think the collaboration was perfect for an album like "Parades", while it probably wouldn't work as well for the new one, which might instead be better suited to being performed with the full band and a string quartet.

You're also committed to discovering and promoting new artists, as shown by Rumraket's busy output. In the meantime you've released music on Leaf, and now the new “Magic Chair“ will come out on the prestigious 4AD: what have your experiences and contacts with these labels been like? What's your take on the current music market in general? 

We have our own label and we've always ended up working with good independent labels. We're happy to see that there are many good labels out there, so we hope they can keep existing, since they act as an important filter and can be a great help to artists. We've never felt cheated by a label, that much is certain.

Many of your songs, even when they're not free of driving rhythms and melodic structures, show a distinctly descriptive, cinematic quality: how do you experience the relationship between music and images? Are you content to describe them through your music, or do you think you might eventually pair them with something like a soundtrack? And if so, what kind of images? 

We've made soundtracks for a few short films and for some theatre pieces, and it's always been a very interesting experience, so much so that we'd love to do it again. It would also be really great to be able to pair our music with proper quality films! Maybe we could convince Lars Von Trier - it would be amazing to score his films.

Back when your first works came out, some people pinned the generic post-rock label on you, but it's clear that over time you've developed a very distinctive formula, one that shows a gradual shift towards pop. What do you think of the post-rock label? And how would you define your music today?

I like the original idea behind the term post-rock, and also the term indie. But in people's minds they both evoke very strong, fixed images: if you say post-rock, everyone thinks of ten-minute songs constantly shifting between "quiet" and "loud". That's why we try to avoid being lumped into that category, because it has never really represented Efterklang's music.

A few years ago we used to call it post-pop, but we've never seen anyone else use that term, so we probably coined it ourselves. Anyway, we have no idea what it actually stands for, and that's exactly how it should be.

And sometimes we describe our music as “Orchestrated Experimental Pop”…

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