Danish indie synth-poppers Efterklang have been on hiatus since 2014, but resurface for this side project with Finnish percussionist Tatu Ronkko. Where Efetrklang’s last album, 2012’s tastefully understated ‘Piramida’, was an airy, spacious affair that left plenty of room for the melodies to breathe, this debut under the Liima guise is a tightly wound, paranoid-sounding record where synths and percussion are packed claustrophobically together.
‘ii’ was recorded in three days in Berlin but written during monthly residencies in the German capital, Finland, Istanbul and Madeira. Yet there’s little sense of that widescreen, globetrotting process in the finished album, which is much darker and tenser than most of Efterklang’s output.
This new direction is epitomized by the record’s best moment, which occurs on third track ‘Roger Waters’ (which incidentally sounds nothing like the prog-rock produced by the Pink Floyd frontman). The echoing, overlapping vocals and fizzing synths – like Animal Collective at their most listenable – cool off two-thirds of the way through, the line “I’m looking for an answer” leading to a moment of silence. What follows is an explosive, demented, distorted guitar lead that sounds like Tom Morello’s been let loose with a cheese grater. Safe to say you wouldn’t have caught the woozy, freak-folk-influenced Efterklang on the attack with something so damn violent.
This vein continues throughout the record, with the simple set-up – synths, drums, bass, samples and vocals – layered so densely that they sound much more complex. ‘513’ is all skittering synths, echoing percussion, autotuned vocals and a low, menacing bassline, while elements of ‘You Stayed In Touch With The Wrong Guy’, with its tommy gun drums and distorted singing, sound like David Bowie’s final album, ‘Blackstar’.
It’s true that Liima’s debut lacks the immediate emotional impact of Efterklang’s work, which wore its heart on its sleeve, but the very different goal here is achieved admirably. ‘ii’ is a record that unveils itself slowly, initially sounding ugly and abrasive before the melodies surge to the fore. Once you look for it, there’s beauty amidst the ugliness.
