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| Pitchfork |
 Whether you like your beats to purr or roar, chances are there's something for you in Dane Anders Trentemøller's debut album The Last Resort in 2006. Trentemøller's always possessed the wide-ranging vision to balance minimal and maximal tech-house, as first evinced by his singles and hired-gun remix work with regional peers the Knife and Röyksopp. Now on Resort, his compositional range and palette of wintry textures are on full display. It's becoming increasingly obvious that Trentemøller accomplishes this by infinitely re-inventing combinations of a relatively scaled-down toolkit: The frequent intermingling of shadows of minimal techno beats, the cutting austerity of surf rock whammy dives, 8-bit orchestras swelling into static. It's maybe most charming that Resort throws everything but the kitchen sink at you, but "everything" could pass muster at your local supermarket's express aisle.Such moody, humanistic motifs dominate Into the Great Wide Yonder. Surf-inspired reverb guitar dots the record's highlight tracks, especially on "Silver Surfer, Ghost Rider Go!!!", on which cymbals and synthetic handclaps ride a wave of guitar fuzz and synths into surprisingly psychedelic territory. Unfortunately, Yonder's further analog forays are met with sometimes mixed results. Featuring the vocal talents (!) of fellow Dane Marie Fisker, Yonder's first single "Sycamore Feeling" opens with sleigh bells and the strums of an acoustic guitar: not exactly your everyday Nordic producer-type cut. The happy accidents only occasionally hit paydirt, however, as Fisker's smoky vocals somehow manage to vamp awkwardly over the chorus. There's almost too much to process considering Trentemøller's studiously prepared low-key arrangement. Throughout, Yonder's melodic sensibility is only occasionally led by vocalists, featuring the guest talents of Solveig Sandnes and Josephine Philip (also Danish) and Guillemots vocalist Fyfe Dangerfield, but at all points the collaborations want for Trentemøller's melodic instrumental sensibilities. Take "Neverglade", which under-utilizes Dangerfield's suitably dangerous yowl. The head Guillemot recalls echoes of Elliott Smith and incessantly repeats Pavement homages to the "weatherman's sign of crooked rain, crooked rain." His contribution's confused homage seems counterintuitive considering the co-collaborators' varied talents....full text |
| Drownedinsound |
| It was around this time last year that my first review for this site was posted. Safe to say, I was utterly thrilled, considering said album (The Field’s Yesterday and Today) was a corker. In the space of time between that first review and right now, a lot of albums of a similar ilk have come into some form of public and critical reverence with their manipulation of accessible electronics. Seeing the likes of Four Tet, Pantha Du Prince and Caribou all playing around with a hedonistic 4/4 rhythm, awkward instrumentation and purest-of-pure melodies is joyful, to say the least. Maybe on a superfluous, egotistical front of self-validation, but still… Purveyors of such talents may be coming thick and fast right now, but Anders Trentemøller can still lay claim to similar acclaim. The Last Resort was his first album, emerging back in 2006, and was a wonderful introduction to his dark, electronics-driven world. Since then, a lot has happened at the musical front that he has so steadfastly adhered to and helped to prosper. It was a glowing reference point in ambient yet dramatic music. But Into The Great Wide Yonder seems to beckon a new tack, an embrace of the estranged analogue tangents that were so deliberately ignored on his previous outings. Well, at least it’s touted as a move to the organic. Opener ‘The Mash and The Fury’ does seem like a sibling to the euphoric openings of ‘Take Me Into Your Skin’ from the last album. This time, a slower groove and emphasis on twang-laden country guitars and random slaps of drum machine snares resonate, as opposed to the BPM constant like before. ‘Shades of Marbie’ takes the old template forward perfectly, with smacks of live drums and rattling guitar chords providing a riveting new dimension. The grandiosity is still there, for sure, but it appears from the offing to have gone through a near total metamorphosis....full text |
| Themusicfix |
| Denmark's Trentemøller is one of the more intriguing electronic producers to emerge in recent years. Although part of the dance scene - entertaining revellers in Ibiza during the summer months and remixing the likes of Röyksopp, Moby and Robyn -, his goth tendencies are no secret. His debut artist album The Last Resort, despite being categorised as minimal electronica, frequently sounded like it could accompany a David Lynch film. Then on the excellent 'mix' album Harbour Boat Trips Vol.1 - Copenhagen he laid bare his musical influences: the emphasis was on downbeat acoustic arrangements, scuzzy rock and hazy vocals rather than dance. Into The Great Wide Yonder continues the soundtrack-y feel of The Last Resort, but plays down the bleeps in favour of more guitar, much of which has that familiar Lynchian twang. (Think Twin Peaks in particular.) Opener 'The Mash and The Fury' is as grand a track as you'll hear this year, its massive refrain suggestive of both the brutality of nature and heroic, conquering spirit. You can bet your last tenner that it'll soon be ubiquitous TV incidental music, accompanying images of people striking out into the wilderness or climbing mountains. The other major difference this time round is the inclusion of vocals on a number of tracks. Those looking forward to hearing his collaboration with Fyfe Dangerfield will be disappointed; it's too wispy to leave much of an impression. Single 'Sycamore Feeling' sits better here than it does alone and, along with 'Tide', is where he's channelled his love for husky-to-the-point-of-unintelligible female vocals and gothy backing. However, the best shot at songwriting is '...Even Though You're With Another Girl'. The longing 50s feel of the title subtly colours the track - and, with its xylophone and odd lurching beat, you could quite imagine a red and blue bathed gal singing it on a stage in a Lynch film....full text |
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