De efterladte "Synger dagen ind" (2018)

Synger dagen ind

release date: Oct. 18, 2018

format: digital (10 x FILE, FLAC - melo016)

[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,56]

producer: Boi Holm, Michael Lund, Peter H. Olesen

label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 2. "Jeg bilder dig ind vi kan se helt til Sverige" - 3. "Nattens lys" - 4. "Aldrig ind i denne dag" - 5. "Jeg ser udsigten" - 9. "Bliv hos mig"

4th studio album by Danish americana trio De efterladte following two years after Adjø tristesse (Sep. 2016). As usual the new collection of songs are credited songwriter and vocalist Peter H. Olesen and composer and guitarist Michael Lund, and also to the usual procedure, Boi Holm holds a central part as sound engineer and producer. One track (track #6) is entirely arranged as a spoken-word composition, which also follows the usual pattern of theirs. The album has a relatively short total running time only reaching 32 minutes.

De efterladte makes their very own blend of alt. folk mixed with americana in a distinct singer / songwriter tradition where Olesen excells with his Danish linguistic acrobacy as if involuntarily cloning Stuart Staples and Leonard Cohen, but still in an original mix.

Synger dagen ind is mostly like a second chapter to their 2016 album and to such an extent that it touches a bit of a stand-still. Only on "Aldrig ind i denne dag" the three show a will to explore new-found territory with the use of an industrial touch - which they could have explored and used on several other songs. The end result is that the band hasn't progressed much. The narratives are still vivid, the music albeit minimalist it still feels like built on original ideas. They cleverly mix folkish music with electronic bits - I reckon, thanks to Boi Holm, but still, with this their fourth album they don't exactly showcase that many new ideas, and then on the other hand they stay true to their own strengths, which guarantees quality and makes it all a pleasant journey.

[ bandcamp ]

De efterladte "Adjø tristesse" (2016)

Adjø tristesse
release date: Sep. 12, 2016
format: vinyl (melo015lp) / cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,66]
producer: Boi Holm
label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Drømte jeg gik og blev ved med at gå" - 2. "Jeg falder" - 4. "Bravo november" - 5. "Alt forsvinder og vender hjem" - 8. "Surfin' Sjælland" - 9. "Glæden ved at være undervejs" (live) - 11. "Hver dag er et comeback" (live)

3rd studio album by De efterladte released three years after the fine Alvorsord og etagevask is produced by Boi Holm, who also worked as co-producer and additional instrumentalist on the 2013 album - here, he's both credited for (additional) instruments and as composer of two tracks (tracks #2 and #7). Musically, the album initiates by following the message of the title, which could be translated to "Goodbye sorrow". It opens up with much more energy and uptempo compositions than usually heard from a band who has been dominated by a melancholy and not seldom a bitter tone by lyricist and vocalist Peter H. Olesen. The message is accentuated in the cover design. The inlay is a folded poster that when unfolded is the instruction to 'how to fold a basic dart paper plane'... By that, it already attempts to be the exact opposite of what could be taken as a pretentious album.
The album contains the usual inclusion of a spoken-word composition, here: "Vi er tidsrejsende" and an entirely instrumental - "Surfin' Sjælland" - credited primary musical composer Michael Lund, who has a nice 'flanger' / delay quality feedback to his Fender[?] always rhyming with americana.
Adjø tristesse is yet another fine and sincere album by Peter Olesen and Michael Lund, who seems to have found the balance between the ever-present melancholic gloominess of songwriter Olesen's lyrics and (almost) equal parts of liveliness, but also by adding more tempo to a few songs without losing the sense of coherency as a sharpening to the whole picture.
I really enjoy this for now and keep returning to it, and I may just raise my rating in a near future 'cause the album is quite intense and multi-faceted.
[ Gaffa.dk 5 / 6, Berlingske 4 / 6 stars ]

De efterladte "Alvorsord og etagevask" (2013)

digipack cover

Alvorsord og etagevask
release date: Sep. 30, 2013
format: cd (melo 011)
[album rate: 4 / 5] [4,12]
producer: De Efterladte and Boi Holm
label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Alting om igen" (live session) - 2. "Kursiv" - 3. "Fugleskræmsel" - 4. "Levende hegn" - 5. "Der hænger en uro" - 6. "U.t." - 9. "Håbet kommer til byen" - 10. "Du fandt ikke dig selv"

2nd studio album by the Danish singer / songwriter duo De efterladte released on Melodika and produced by 'the band' with Boi Holm. The debut album Traditionen utro (2011) introduced a simpler musical soundscape than lyricist & vocalist Peter H. Olesen and guitarist Michael Lund played when performing for the brothers Olesen-Olesen, and on the duo's second album this is simplified to a greater extent. Here, the additional backing band is scarcely noticeable - as what you mostly hear is Olesen's vocal on top of Lund's twangy or acoustically sounding guitars.
The debut was met by positive reviews and is a fine and interesting album that most of their countrymen simply ignored. Unfortunately, they do not appeal to a broader public, which also may have been the reason as to why Peter H. Olesen and his brother Henrik decided to call it a day with their fine project Olesen-Olesen after 7 studio albums released over a ten year period. Now one can only hope this duo will ignore low sales and just embrace the fine reviews that their albums receive.
Alvorsord og etagevask was met by critical acclaim and songwriter Peter Olesen was nominated the critics' prize Steppeulven for Årets tekstforfatter [songwriter of the year].
Peter is making brilliant music with guitarist Michael Lund and their style is largely influenced and associated with singer / songwriter and alt. folk, and a more dominant sound of americana on this particular release. Olesen narrates in his usual melancholic way about simple things in life and Lund adds a beautiful surf guitar creating an ambient and spherical touch almost completely without bass and drums or other instrumentation except for quiet percussion, synthesizer noice and glockenspiel. Peter Olesen has always written quite unique lyrics, and has a strong poetic profile. It's almost as if this has become even more accentuated with the new duo, and he often reminds me of the late Danish poet Dan Turrell.
This album is an even stronger release than their fine debut, and it's no less than one of my absolute favourite releases of 2013.
[ Gaffa.dk 6 / 6, Berlingske, Undertoner 5 / 6 stars ]

2013 Favourite releases: 1. Arctic Monkeys AM - 2. Tindersticks Across Six Leap Years - 3. De efterladte Alvorsord og etagevask

De efterladte "Traditionen utro" (2011)

Traditionen utro [debut]
release date: Jun. 6, 2011
format: cd
[album rate: 3,5 / 5] [3,58]
producer: Peter H. Olesen & Michael Lund
label: Melodika - nationality: Denmark

Track highlights: 1. "Sangen selv" (live) - 2. "Nedenom og hjem" (4 / 5) (live) - 4. "Godmorgen kynisme" (live) - 5. "Du lever og har det godt og bor et sted på Sjælland" - 8. "Mit sortsyn" (4 / 5) (live) - 10. "Med let hånd" - 13. "Den nye sang er en gammel sang" (live with CS Nielsen)

Studio debut album by the Danish duo De efterladte ['The Abandoned'] is the beginning of a highly interesting duo consisting of one half of the brother-project Olesen-Olesen, songwriter and vocalist Peter H. Olesen - here without his younger brother Henrik but instead together with guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Michael Lund with whom he composed two songs for the final album, Kain & Abel (2007) with Olesen-Olesen - the second of these compositions is titled "Til de efterladte" ['For the abandoned'], which has given name to the duo. Lund was also among the stable live musicians when the duo toured. Several other additional musicians contribute on the album including Boi Holm, who also mixed the album.
According to Peter H. Olesen [from the official website] he met with Lund after the split of Olesen-Olesen to rehearse and compose new songs to what he thought would be upcoming solo recordings - not unlike what his younger brother Henrik released in 2010 as Ukendt Under Andet Navn - and then he realised that it was more of a collaboration work.
The style isn't far from the former brother-project but it has become much more simple mostly featuring only Olesen's vocal accompanied by Lund's guitar thus emphasising the lyrical side quite substantially. Some compositions are shaped with clear references to rock & roll, chamber pop, americana, or folk rock inspiration and others are simply spoken-word poems accompanied with guitar.
Peter Olesen undoubtedly has a talent with words, and it's truly nice to listen to his lyrics, trying to understand what puzzles him about words, phrases, or sensations, and the new-found sound with Lund makes this a nice journey. Lund is also credited for the cover.
[ Gaffa.dk, Undertoner 4 / 6, Soundvenue 3 / 6 stars ]