In October 2007, Danish band Efterklang released their acclaimed second album, PARADES. Shortly afterwards, Karl Bjerre Skibsted from the Danish Broadcasting Corporation (DR) approached the group with a proposal to work with the Danish National Chamber Orchestra, and Efterklang leapt at the opportunity to perform PARADES in full with the ensemble. From the beginning, the intention was to unite the two groups as a single musical unit: 50 musicians on stage in full Efterklang regalia. Composer and arranger Karsten Fundal was invited to write arrangements for the songs, and after ten months of preparation, the first performance took place on September 26, 2008 at DR’s brand new Koncerthusen (concert venue) in Efterglang’s hometown of Copenhagen, in front of a capacity audience. The event was a career highlight for all concerned, and is now documented here in audio and video.

Here’s a brief reminder of the original PARADES album:

…but Efterklang are not just any band, choosing not to do things by half, it seems they have poured every creative ounce of energy into PARADES. Some eighteen months has been spent on this record and it is structured like an elaborate, never-ending maze. Employing no fewer than thirty musicians to augment this already sprawling collective, such attention to detail makes Arcade Fire’s NEON BIBLE look like a solo record.

There is a sense of theatre to this releases, it is choc full of cinematic crashes, lavish crescendos and grand arrangements. It certainly parallels the enigmatic nature of debut album TRIPPER, but this record’s vision imposes its majesty on the listener from the outset.

There is direct focus on vocal arrangements, with male and female harmonies colliding with luxuriant orchestration and subtle electronics. ‘Caravan’ is most noticeable for this; with the female arrangement sounding like one hundred Björk’s singing in unison from atop a mountain. ‘Him Poe Poe’ also excels in the vocal department, delicately balancing male whispers around swelling violin and cascading harmonies.

‘Polygone’ and ‘Mirador’ are curious opening compositions for PARADES with the former especially veering into abstract territories. Mixing fragmented flute sounds with ghostly vocals and staggered electronic rhythms, the listener is never quite sure just where this track is intending to go. The aptly titled ‘Mirador’, meanwhile, starts beautifully as revolving harpsichord chimes melt into a celebratory fanfare formation.

Efterklang , though, reach their true form around the middle of this album, hitting the listener with the triple-whammy of the stunning ‘Horseback Tenors’, ‘Frida Found A Friend’ and ‘Maison De Réflexion’ . ‘Frida…’ especially captures just what is so wonderful about this band. Starting with mournful brass and trademark Efterklang whispered vocals, the sound is intentionally degraded by hisses of static and electronics that gradually take hold of this piece, before the band career into a segment of distorted orchestration.

Special mention also must be given to the magnificent ‘Maison De Réflexion’ (surely the only song in some time to be written about William Tell). Featuring a bombastic explosion of sound, violins splinter into euphoric chanting and dramatic percussion to create one of this album’s many highlights.

Lasting for 50 engrossing minutes, PARADES is not an album as such, but a full-blown theatrical production. Its press release tells us it features secrets that could take years to unravel and it’s true. Such music is simply a gratifying in its originality. Make no mistake, Efterklang’s music shares more in common with avant-rockers King Crimson than anything else and even then the similarities are subtle. All that is left is to see is how in God’s name they are going to pull this off live…