Anders Trentemoller comes from Denmark and makes
electronic music. Although his vision is sometimes
quite dark, as befits his Nordic heritage, (all those
long cold nights reading Keirkegaard!) sometimes a
ray of sunshine bursts throught the clouds and
illuminates a far more serene landscape.
Things begin convincingly with the brooding grey tones
and crackling beats of 'The Mash and The Fury'. It is
as though a storm may be approaching. The "Ghost Riders"
guitar with its rattling tremolo is a cracking invention.
It's not all Sturm und Drang however!
The angelic chorus at the heart of the otherwise
gloomily tempestuous 'Past The Beginning Of The End'
is a particularly good example of Mr Trentemoller's
willingness to show us that he has a sensitive side too.
He is resposible for the majority of the sounds we hear.
Technology and tradition walk hand in hand. He seems
to have enjoyed using real drums, for example, as well
as synthetically reproduced rhythms and is not beyond
throwing out a few good power chords on the electric
guitar for good measure, as he does on the splendid
composition 'Shades Of Marble'. The string arrangement
on this fine track also deserves a special mention.
Guest vocalists pop up on a number of songs to lend a hand.
Danish singer Marie Fisker lays down a wonderfully moody
performance around the pulsing heart-beat of 'Sycamore Feeling'.
Disembodied, subterranean and quite possibly dangerous!
Josephine Philip delivers a near-nightmarish vocal on
'....Even Though You're With Another Girl'. Cracked and
ragged yet vividly soulful, the number is one of the
album's highlights. Her bitterness is palpable!
Guillemots' Fyfe Dangerfield brings' the laconic magic of
'Neverglade' to life with his elegant and easy delivery.
Final track 'Tide' comes and goes like a dream. It is a
song full of curious charm. Another Danish singer,
Solveig Sandnes, takes the lead with the beautifully
crafted melody and is harmonically well supported (if you
close your eyes and open your inner-ear) by a well-tuned
cast of small woodland animals. A truly lovely anthem.
Mr Trentemoller is blessed with a clear and confident vision.
'Into The Great Wide Yonder' is a heady mix of angst and
tenderness which deserves our attention and applause.
Recommended.