Piramida4AD ****

How many bands would spend nine days on a remote Arctic island recording more than 1,000 audio samples? Not many, I'd wager. Then again, Efterklang aren't your typical group. Perfectionists by nature, the Berlin-based Danish trio are gifted at conveying big, elaborate ideas with a disarming simplicity. The sombre, click-and-fizzle electronica of debut Tripper feels like an eternity ago; Piramida, their fourth album, features orchestras, choirs and all sorts of digital trickery (plus those samples, of course), creating a warm, swooning cocoon of sounds that beg to be enjoyed via headphones. Casper Clausen's vocals effortlessly communicate a joy that is wonderfully infectious, while tracks Black Summer and Between the Walls reveal their myriad layers over several listens. Another triumph from a band that gets better with every release. efterklang.net

Download tracks:The Living Layer, Between the Walls, Monument