Albums to watch

Magic Chairs

Efterklang

Magic Chairs

First release on 4AD for the longstanding Danish specialists in adventurous orchestral pop and post-rock/folk

ADM rating[?]

7.0

Label
4AD
UK Release date
22/02/2010
  1. 9.0 |   The Line Of Best Fit

    This is an album of magnificent achivement and if it’s not featuring on the Best Of The Year lists it’ll have been quite the year
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  2. 9.0 |   No Ripcord

    Here they demonstrate a heady and mature refinement of their sound into one integral experience, which permeates the listener slowly and skillfully
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  3. 8.4 |   Beats Per Minute

    Efterklang have done something remarkable here. This is maybe the first great album of 2010
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  4. 8.0 |   Rave Magazine

    Efterklang’s electronics whiz Mads Brauer is in a lot more restrained mode throughout, which takes away some of the band’s patented experimental flair yet turns tracks like Harmonics and Full Moon into unquestionably lovely, hum-friendly moments. An authentic grower
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  5. 8.0 |   The Skinny

    Highlights are near-impossible to isolate ... such is the richness of Magic Chairs’ magisterial elegance
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  6. 8.0 |   Mojo

    Print edition only

  7. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    This record is one which plays with the timbres of the orchestra ... and does so successfully, utilising the sounds to make something that draws on music hundreds of years old, and music years old, to create something else
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  8. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    A very satisfying addition to an already impressive Efterklang discography
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  9. 8.0 |   The Irish Times

    ...there’s no doubting that this is the Danes’ most accomplished work to date
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  10. 8.0 |   Tiny Mix Tapes

    It's artful and emotional, rewarding attention without requiring it. Combining orchestral instrumentation with subtle electronic accents
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  11. 8.0 |   Blurt

    Efterklang seamlessly blend clicky electronics and slow-burning guitars
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  12. 7.0 |   musicOMH

    Print edition only

  13. 7.0 |   Clash

    Paired down to their essence, this distilled Efterklang is premium strength stuff
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  14. 6.0 |   The Digital Fix

    It’s without question a beautiful body of work, fusing musical complexities with solid song writing. But it is also the most accessible thing they have ever done, resulting in some of the depth that made them such an attractive proposition in the first place being eroded
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  15. 6.0 |   Q

    Print edition only

  16. 6.0 |   FasterLouder

    If Magic Chairs brings Efterklang more critical attention, so much the better. They deserve it. But I for one will be hoping that next time round they get back some of their previous intensity
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  17. 6.0 |   Uncut

    Print edition only

  18. 6.0 |   The Fly

    ‘Magic Chairs’ always falls tantalizingly short of the kind of glacial peaks it promises
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  19. 6.0 |   The Quietus

    It's not that this is a bad album, but there was every reason to expect something remarkable; instead, Magic Chairs mostly spells the end of Efterklang's all-too-brief brilliance
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  20. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    Anyone who enjoyed Elbow being backed by the Hallé Orchestra last year will find much to love here. It's emotional music, full of subtle tension and lurking drama.
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  21. 6.0 |   The List

    Efterklang deliver subtle, tinkling orchestral pop by way of national apology
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  22. 6.0 |   State

    Progression seems to involve losing the magic that their previous records were jampacked with and sounding more like an actual band. Unfortunately for Efterklang, sometimes that band is Coldplay
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  23. 5.9 |   Pitchfork

    Aggressive editing aims more for pop clarity than musical intrigue. Despite the contributions of auxiliary members Heather and Peter Broderick, everything seems standard and safe
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  24. 4.0 |   The Sunday Times

    ...the sense here is of a band with the Blue Nile as their primer, when they might more usefully have worked at the basic craft of writing
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Efterklang: Magic Chairs

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Modern Drift £0.89
  • 2. Alike £0.89
  • 3. I Was Playing Drums £0.89
  • 4. Raincoats £0.89
  • 5. Harmonics £0.89
  • 6. Full Moon £0.89
  • 7. The Soft Beating £0.89
  • 8. Scandinavian Love £0.89
  • 9. Mirror Mirror £0.89
  • 10. Natural Tune £0.89
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