Rob Swaine gives you an incite into the fantastic second full length album from Anders Trentemoller, 'Into The Great Wide Yonder'.
Released in 2006, 'Last Resort' was a minimal masterpiece of the most cutting edge techno, electronica and house music, fused together to create one of the most important underground dance albums of the decade. 'Into the Great Wide Yonder' is the recently released, much anticipated follow up album to 'Last Resort' by Danish emotive electronica envoy, Anders Trentemoller. Having taken over a year to make, it's every bit as intelligent and intense as the debut album, marking a shift towards a more instrumental approach to music production. It relies much less on the electronic glitchy sounds that saw 'Last Resort' end up on techno label Poker Flat.
By approaching the album with no premeditated concept in mind Trentemoller allowed for the organic development and exploration of each track as the inspiration came to him. He admits that it was only “half way through the writing process that I suddenly started to hear that I had a sound that was based more around live instruments than before, with some references to '60s twang guitar and surf music”. From that moment on he continued to work in that direction. These references can certainly be heard in tracks throughout the LP, especially on 'shades of marble' and 'silver surfer, ghost rider go' that evolve around the dominant guitar parts.
As well as musical influences from past decades, Anders also references a recent two-week vacation to Iceland as a massive influence on many of the soundscaping elements on the latest release. He explains that Iceland “inspired me hugely because of its very dramatic landscapes and by being close to nature. There are many vast, wide, open spaces. These mental images are something that I try to remember when I'm back in Copenhagen.” Currently living in one of the most hardcore areas of Copenhagen, “in the heart of the red light district, these images of the open spaces were something I kept in mind when writing the new album.”
With the exception of the harrowing acoustic 'neverglade' featuring Fyfe Dangerfield of the Guillemots and the creepy soundscape track 'metamorphis', each song gradually builds from an eerie, tepid beginning to a heavily layered crescendo, as is typical of a Trentemoller composition. Just as you think the sound cannot get any fuller, in slams another distorted guitar line, or an additional string harmony. It's Phil Spector's wall of sound method of recording taken into the twenty-first century with awesome effect.
Experimentation with recording techniques is perhaps what gives this album its unique overall sound. One of the main technical differences of this album compared to the first is the whole process of working with analogue gear. Most of the instruments were initially recorded onto analogue tape and not straight into the computer. The intention of this was to give the individually recorded tracks an extra warmth and depth. However, Anders also kept some of the remaining sounds strictly inside the computer's recording and editing software so as to create a very clinical, electronic sound in contrast. The aim was to acheive “the sound of something warm and analogue clashing against something cold and electronic”. The results certainly go a long way towards adding to the dark, unsettling vibe of the album.
What's immediately obvious about the new release is that it features a large number of vocal tracks, unlike the instrumental 'Last Resort'. Confessing not to be much of a lyricist, Trentemoller allowed the vocalists to write the lyrics themselves. He explains that “if they came up with something that I thought didn't really fit the music then I'd tell them, but I gave them fairly free reign to write what came into their minds when they heard the music. I think you get a purer, more honest and personal product if the vocalists themselves write the lyrics.”
Pure, honest and personal is certainly what you get with 'Into The Great Wide Yonder'. It's heart-on-sleeve listening that's as emotive as it is entertaining. Due to its darkness, it may not be one for the summer months, but, come autumn, it'll start making much more sense.
Trentemoller will be in London touring the new album this October. Be sure not to miss out.
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