Photo by Rasmus Weng Karlsen – January 2009
After years of waiting I was finally able to see Efterklang live a couple weeks ago.
Opening the night was local Seattle favorite, Anomie Bell. Anomie combines downtempo drums, cello, multiple violins, bass, piano and her own whisper-sweet vocals. Her second album should be completed shortly, and I will review it here as soon as it drops.
Next up was Buke & Gass. To be honest I had never heard of them before, and after a quick sampling from their MySpace I had a lackluster appreciation. But after seeing them live — my initial impression of their sound were way off. What I expected was some generic, jangly, indie rock. What I got was the complex polyrhythms of two guitars furiously grinding against each other in a manner I have not heard since early Sonic Youth. Wow.
And finally, Efterklang took to the stage. The drums drove the chant, and the whole band sang sing song to the heavens without restraint. It was primal, savage, filled with longing and tinged with joy. We the audience were swept away as drums became trumpet, bass became samples and violin became drums. Go see these guys as soon as possible.
