Interview: Anna Brønsted (Our Broken Garden)

Efterklang to 4AD

4AD has signed Efterklang to their illustrious roster and will be releasing the band's third studio album sometime in early 2010.

Efterklang - Cutting ice to snow (live)

Efterklang are streaming a new track at myspace from their forthcoming live orchestral collaboration "Performing Parades": http://www.myspace.com/efterklang

Efterklang prepare live album/DVD

Efterklang reports that their upcoming live CD/DVD (or LP/DVD) "Performing Parades", recorded with The Danish National Chamber Orchestra in Copenhagen last September, will be released on October 19. Besides the full 55-minute show, the DVD will also include a behind-the-scenes documentary and all of the videos made for the songs off the album "Parades". To celebrate the release, Efterklang will stage a special re-creation of the album at the Barbican Hall in London together with The Britten Sinfonia on October 28.

Steppeulven nominees are here

The nominees for the Steppeulven, the Danish critic's awards, have been announced:

Best musician:
Tim Christensen
Mikkel Hess
Jannis Noya Makrigiannis (Choir of Young Believers)
Mike Sheridan
Frederik Thaae (A Kid Hereafter)
Best live act:
Albertslund Terrorkorps
Efterklang
L.O.C.
Spleen United
Teitur
Best producer:
Troels Abrahamsen (Veto m.m.)
Henrik Balling (Peter Sommer m.m.)
Michael Patterson (Spleen United)
Rune Rask (L.O.C.)
Anders Rhedin & Fridolin Nordsø (Choir of Young Believers)
Best vocalist:
Troels Abrahamsen (Veto)
Marie Højlund (Marybell Katastrophy)
L.O.C.
Jannis Noya Makrigiannis (Choir of Young Believers)
Peter Sommer
Best lyrics:
Annika Aakjær
Sys Bjerre
Jørgen Leth
L.O.C.
Peter Sommer
Year's hope/best newcomer:
Annika Aakjær
Fagget Fairys
Marybell Katastrophy
Mellemblond
Mike Sheridan
Best song:
Choir of Young Believers - Next Summer
L.O.C. - Hvorfor vil du ik'?
Peter Sommer - Vi falder først den dag vi kigger ned
Spleen United - Suburbia
Veto - You Say Yes, I Say Yes
Best composer:
Troels Abrahamsen (Veto m.m.)
Marie Højlund (Marybell Katastrophy)
Jannis Noya Makrigiannis (Choir of Young Believers)
Rune Rask (L.O.C.)
Peter Sommer
Best band:
Choir of Young Believers
Marybell Katastrophy
Spleen United
VETO
Volbeat
Best album:
Choir of Young Believers - This Is For The White In Your Eyes
L.O.C. - Melankolia/XXXCouture
Marybell Katastrophy - The More
Peter Sommer - Til rotterne, til kragerne, til hundene
Veto - Crushing Digits

More here: http://www.steppeulv.dk/

MP3: Slaraffenklang - You win

The name "Danish Dynamite" actually originates from the Efterklang + Slaraffenland US tour that took play last May, a collaboration that resulted in Slaraffenklang -- a twelve-man mutant hybrid that made their live debut at the Sono Festival in Rødovre, Denmark on November 8, 2008. They'll be doing it again at SXSW, except unfortunately not at the March 20th gig I'm involved with, but instead at the Hometapes Friend Island Party the following day. I'd tell you the full details, but hey- not my party, not my deal so you do your own homework. But what I will do for you is provide an mp3 from that debut performance so you can hear the band, whether you are heading to Austin or not. Either way: "You win" (That is, assuming you can appreciate a band that sounds like a postrock I'm From Barcelona on steroids and hallucinogens)
Download the entire 4-song recording here: http://efterklang.net/home/2008/12/18/free-slaraffenklang-ep-merry-christmas/

Slaraffenklang - You win

Sirius playlist week #11

Here's the playlist for this week's radio show Sirius XMU:

01. Next Life - The decisive
02. TALK 1
03. Florence Valentin - Spring Ricco
04. Scraps of Tape - Bring the heavy
05. Slaraffenland - I'm a machine
06. TALK 2
07. PowerSolo - Pirates of the oblivion
08. Efterklang - Mirador
09. 18th Dye - Soft the hard way
10. Snake & Jet's Amazing Bullit Band - Ten cities beyond
11. TALK 3
12. High Hats - The end
13. Samuraj Cities - Spoonful of talk
14. Jesper Norda - Gentle and slow with a new sharp edge
15. Division of Laura Lee - Violence is timeless
16. TALK 4
17. Kristofer Åström - Twentyseven
18. Turboweekend - Something or nothing
19. Dyno - Deliverance
20. Abcess Exil - Stormens öga
21. TALK 5
22. Ironville - The wild

Reminder: my show airs every week on Sundays and Mondays at 11pm ET on Sirius XMU, except for this week when it aired on Monday with a repeat on Tuesday (tonight). That's channel 26 on Sirius, 43 on XM and 831 for DirecTV subscribers.

SXSW Danish Dynamite Dayparty set for March 20

Pretty much every single Danish act at SXSW will be performing together at a special "Danish Dynamite Dayparty" taking place on March 20 at the Inhouse Gallery from 1-7pm. The lineup: Slaraffenland, Choir of Young Believers, Efterklang, Murder, 18th Dye, Oh Land, Powersolo, Tina Dico, Snake And Jet's Amazing Bullit Band and The Wong Boys. I'm gonna go ahead and throw my hat into the ring and say that this looks like a can't-miss opportunity for any lover of (Scandinavian) music, so if you find yourself in Austin at SXSW, you know where to be.

New US tour for Efterklang in March

Efterklang is coming back to North America in March:

03/05 - Nectar Lounge, Seattle, WA
03/06 - Media Club, Vancouver, BC
03/07 - Doug Fir, Portland, OR
03/08 - Bottom Of The Hill, San Francisco, CA
03/09 - Brewery, Visalia, CA
03/10 - Spaceland, Los Angeles, CA
03/11 - Plush, Tucson, AZ
03/13 - Urban Lounge, Salt Lake City, UT
03/14 - Larimer Lounge, Denver, CO
03/16 - Opolis, Norman, OK
03/17 - Hailey’s, Denton, TX
03/18 - SXSW, Austin, TX
03/19 - SXSW, Austin, TX
03/20 - SXSW, Austin, TX
03/21 - SXSW, Austin, TX
03/23 - The Engine Room, Tallahassee, FL
03/24 - Earl, Atlanta, GA
03/25 - Local 506, Chapel Hill, NC
03/26 - DC 9, Washington, DC
03/27 - The First Unitarian Church, Philadelphia, PA
03/28 - Mercury Lounge, New York, NY
03/30 - TT the Bears, Boston, MA
03/31 - tba, Montreal, PQ
04/01 - El Mocambo, Toronto, ONT
04/02 - Garfield Artwork, Pittsburgh, PA
04/03 - Grog Shop, Cleveland, OH
04/04 - Schubas, Chicago, IL

Rumraket to release new albums from Slaraffenland, Taxi Taxi!

Danish label Rumraket reports that they'll be releasing Slaraffenland's 3rd album in April and will also be putting out Taxi Taxi!'s much-anticipated full-length debut (produced by Johan Berthling of Tape/Häpna) later on in 2009, as well as a live album/DVD from labelheads Efterklang.

Slaraffenklang offers Danish dynamite

Rumraket is offering a new 4-song live EP from Slaraffenklang, a collaborationg between Danish acts Efterklang and Slaraffenland, as a free download: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=48345632&blogID=457285946

Air France, Björk, Efterklang, Lykke Li, Sigur Rós and The Tough Alliance all made Pitchfork's top 40 videos of 2008 list: http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/feature/147701-top-40-music-videos-of-2008

Efterklang has a brand new video for the track "Horseback tenors" posted for free download: http://efterklang.net/home/2008/10/13/day-1-efterklang-gift-week-world-premiere-of-new-video/
Stay tuned for more giveaways over the next few days as the band has dubbed it "Efterklang Gift Week".

Check out a live performance from Efterklang over at Le Blogotheque http://www.blogotheque.net/Efterklang,4430

The new First Floor Power single "God damn your fingers" including a b-side remix by Casper Clausen of Efterklang is out now: http://www.klicktrack.com/klicktrack/releases/first-floor-power/god-damn-your-fingers/1