UNDER GIANT TREES

"Under Giant Trees" is an EP release by Danish post-rock act Efterklang. The EP was released through The Leaf Label in April 2007. It was originally limited to 4500 numbered CDs and 1200 numbered LPs. The total playing time is 29:23 minutes so there´s plenty of quantity for the money. The band writes in the booklet that the 5 tracks were written for concerts they played in 2005 so the songs weren´t exactly new at the time of release, but as Efterklang´s second full-length studio album "Parades" was released in October 2007, I guess the band felt they needed to record and release the songs on "Under Giant Trees" before they were forgotten in the vault.

The music style reminds me a lot of the music on "Parades (2007)" which means experimental post-rock with lots of classical orchestration (not as pompous as the case was on "Parades (2007)" though), whispering male/female vocals, choir arrangements, and a generally sophisticated and adventurous approach to songwriting.

The 5 tracks on the EP are packed in an organic, pleasant, and overall very well sounding production, which does the music great justice. It´s a case where the stars align. If you are familiar with earlier releases by Efterklang it should come as no surprise that "Under Giant Trees" is overall an intriguing quality release played by passionate and skilled performers. It´s a release that requires a couple of spins and attention, and Efterklang certainly don´t go for a catchy sound, but given the right amount of listens, the music unveils it´s qualities. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.