We're honoured to have this month's mixtape curated by one of our long-time favourite bands, Efterklang. The Berlin-based Danish trio of childhood friends Mads Brauer, Casper Clausen and Rasmus Stolberg have a knack at keeping us enthralled with their brilliantly orchestrated compositions that transcend genres. They constantly venture in new and exciting directions, as shows their latest release, the collaborative opera album Leaves – The Colour of Falling, which was one of our Album Picks of 2016. So be prepared to discover some surprises as you dig in the trove of tracks they picked for us!
Last summer the Copenhagen Opera Festival commissioned Efterklang and Karsten Fundal to compose an explorative opera entitled Leaves – The Colour of Falling. Efterklang performed the opera live then in 16 sold out shows in the 1000 m2 nuclear basement of the former Copenhagen Municipal Hospital. Now, and marking the return of the Danish trio, the opera is being officially released for the first time. What’s more, Efterklang are performing it again live in early 2017, having recently announced a string of European shows with The Happy Hopeless Orchestra.
‘The Colour Not of Love’, one of the sublime songs off Leaves – The Colour of Falling, is now streaming. Karsten Fundal had this to say about it:
“This song is very special to me as it really got under my skin when we made it. Efterklang have arranged and adapted the composition in their usual hyper sensitive understanding of what the music is about. In some ways we shifted roles on this one – I made this relatively catchy melody and its simple harmonies and basic arrangement. Efterklang added the string and vocal arrangements. The lyrics are very impressionistic and somewhat melancholic as they evolve around the colour green – the colour of love and the colour not of love. It works beautifully in English because of all the wordplays. It’s a really great example of Ursula Andkjær Olsen’s poetry as she plays with triviality while abolishing linearity as she calls for our innermost emotions in the secret meaning behind the words”
Grab Leaves – The Colour of Falling when it’s out on November 4th via Tambourhinoceros and now check out to ‘The Colour Not of Love’ and the video that accompanies it.
