The first time I listened to Efterklang's debut EP, Springer (originally released in an edition of 500 on their own label Rumraket), I had trouble accepting it as anything short of a Sigur Rós-type foreign pop band. It starts out with a lot of ambiance and a xylophone giving it a brooding creepy feel that is quite pleasant, but after about six minutes of "Kloy Gyn"'s mellow opening, it did just what I was fearing it would do. In typical mainstream experimental post rock fashion, Efterklang employed the kick in.
The "kick in" is a very specific moment, often including a drum entrance or crescendo, and always changing the mood by way of a surge in energy. Radiohead has had a lot of them, Broken Social Scene employed a few, and let's not forget Xiu Xiu. They love the kick in (just listen to "Crank Heart"). Unfortunately, Efterklang's kick ins are not as exciting as Xiu Xiu's, as memorable as Broken Social Scene's, or as dramatic as Radiohead's. While their music builds in a manner slightly similar to Explosions in the Sky (sans delay pedal), the kick in was enough to turn me off to the rest of the EP.
Then I listened to it again, and actually listened to the whole thing. First impressions are important, but not always correct. In fact, I didn't even get to the EP's climax, the chaotic, feedback filled "Filmosonic XL," on the first time around. While Efterklang does indeed love the kick in, there is so much more to their music than that. Aside from the general direction (which I'm not too big on), the instrumentation is solid. The stereo field of their percussive clicks and taps (are they electronic? I can't tell) is very well composed. Each track is thick with sparse layers that combine to give the songs their lush aesthetic (they usually tour with eight members, though their music sounds like it could be made by two or three). Conceptually, it's traveling a road that is already paved, but there's nothing wrong with improving the road's aesthetic by driving a cute vehicle.
1. Kloy Gyn
2. Antitech
3. Redrop
4. Bright
5. Filmosonic XL