It’s astounding Copenhagen’s Efterklang hasn’t yet broken into the American market. The band’s 2004 debut, Tripper, featured the type of glitch-pop hooks, flamboyant orchestration, quiet vocals, and slowly building compositions that allowed the musicians to claim as peers Mum and Sigur Ros. That album had its flaws, but its follow-up, Parades, has improved upon them, taking Efterklang into another category of grandiose orchestrated pop music.

Parades is full of epics, all droning organs, lush string arrangements, extravagant chanting, moody piano compositions, and flourishing vocal harmonies -- every track a pallet for interpretation. And it’s wonderfully produced; Parades shines in its keen attention to the little things, from the clacking drums to the brush strokes on the snare all the way down to the creaking noise caught on tape.

Which means Parades should be experiences in several settings -- in the car, over your morning cup of coffee, through headphones. The album complements each situation differently, and new elements become apparent with each listen. If Efterklang keeps building from here, its walls of sound will be hard to bring down.

Band: http://www.efterklang.net
Label: http://www.theleaflabel.com
Audio: http://www.myspace.com/efterklang