Imagine building yourself a huge Danish sandwich, with layers all piled high, cheese on cheese on salami on tomato on cheese on lettuce on pickle on grated horse…etc etc etc…all on bread. Now imagine trying to pick that up, and eat it. Without dropping any of it in your lap, on your top, or on your laptop. And succeeding. You see, I’ve been biting into Parades for weeks, and I’m still no closer to the bread, so numerous are the fillings toppings. Let’s see, what have I found so far…luscious strings on rustic folk with home-cooked brass on extravagant choral salad on bite-size piano chunks all over fried electronics. Under the weight of all this, it surely has to collapse, sending children running away screaming through the streets as rocket leaves and pastrami shower down upon their heads…yet somehow it doesn’t; there must be some javelin-sized cocktail sticks running through it. And the more I eat, the more amazing combinations of flavours I find. And I keep eating, and I’m still barely making a dent. Ever been to a restaurant, and gorged yourself on a dish, only to be told that that was just the starter? I have (damn the Greeks and their endless mezze, like some sort of unannounced food decathlon. There’s that javelin again. Hang on, how do the Greeks keep getting in here? Vikings repel these invaders!), and it kind of feels like that. I’m watching Parades tick inexorably up my most played list, and I don’t feel I’m getting my head round it at all. The only section I have purchase on is that “Step Up! Saddle Up!” bit on “Caravan” which has melodic juice oozing down the sides of yet another Axelrod-like vocal section . Seriously, I’m back to playing the first track again, and it might as well be the first time I’ve heard it, not the 12th. I love albums like that. Dense isn’t the word. Dansk might be.
Listen to last track “Cutting Ice To Snow” over at Efterklang’s website. Buy it from Boomkat - I highly recommend it….I think…let me listen to it again…no, I’m full…or maybe just another bite…or two. They are playing this live soon. Won’t that just be the icing on the sandwich…
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4 comments
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October 25, 2007 at 11:51 pm
nana
Your review is so good that the song turn out to be disappointing. sorry
October 26, 2007 at 3:07 pm
seanh
I’ve tried to like this album, but it just hasn’t happened. Your icing on the sandwich comment is actually pretty fitting; that’s just about precisely how I feel about this album. Seems like all the right elements are in place, but it ends up sounding like a mishmosh to me, too many different sounds to handle all heaped on one plate. I think Mirador is a better example of what I’m talking about here. Some of those fun junglegym/ballpit/cartoony elements I enjoyed so much from the recent Tunng album seem in play on Parades as well, especially on that Mirador track. The chocolate icing is the Architecture in Helsinki chanting, trumpet and upbeat tones. The cold lunchmeat, sliced bread, iceberg lettuce and tomato is the slightly mopey familiar post rock sound, like a less orchestral Godspeed or Sigur Ros. Separate, these sound nice, but together it just sounds like a turkey sandwich covered in cake to me.
I don’t like criticizing music though, so I would also like to mention there’s a ton to love here. I can recognize it’s a really wonderful album, and likely to be on many end of the year favorites lists. For me though, it just isn’t striking a chord.
here’s the wonderful video for Mirador, if you haven’t seen it yet:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vSKIl-NeZeE
October 29, 2007 at 10:57 am
mapsadaisical
Dissent? I won’t be having any of that round here. Although I am pleased that you picked up my food metaphor and ran with it, Sean. Mind your elbows on the doorframe as you pass through, you don’t want to be dropping it.
October 31, 2007 at 2:00 am
themilkman
Parades… well, like you I just can’t get enough of it. The more I listen to it, the more I want to listen to it. It’s just too bloody marvelous for words.