Scandirock: Efterklang & The Concretes

I recently ranked Efterklang's Magic Chairs as one of my favourite albums of 2010. However, it wasn't their music that first attracted me, it was the appearance of this Danish 8-piece in French filmmaker Vincent Moon's An Island. A nomadic, solitary director obsessed with fusing music and documentary film, Moon (alias for the much more French sounding Mathieu Saura) decided to make a movie in August of 2010 based entirely upon Magic Chairs. The film runs for the exact length of the album, and - like a good nerd should - I wanted to familiarize myself with the music before watching the movie.

I loved the album right away, and noticed that there was some element within Magic Chairs that reminded me of another group. I dug through my iTunes and CD collection to finally discover that this group reminded me of another Scandinavian indie ensemble, The Concretes. I have come to the conclusion that there is definitely a Scandinavian indie rock sound. Like The Concretes, PB&J, and Bodebrixen, Efterklang (which, btw, is Danish for "Remembrance") follows the tenets of twee but is substantiated by catchy, acute percussion. This genre, as a whole, can be identified through the use of oddly-constructed English lyrics, multi-instrumentalism, and innocent melodies that are as charming as Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina. The disturbingly blond pride and joy of Sweden, The Concretes, will be at Vancouver's Biltmore Cabaret on March 1st. I always think of The Concretes as a Nordic Belle and Sebastian. Tickets are only $15...kykkeliky!

Efterklang has come through Vancouver twice now, that I know of, so be sure to catch them next time they are here. The following clip from Moon's film will whet your appetite, like sampling some smørdejgssnitter before the skinkefars:

 


AN ISLAND - 3rd TEASER - Vincent Moon & Efterklang from Rumraket on Vimeo.