PRICE:
$17.00$14.45
IN STOCK
ARTIST
TITLE
Avellaneda
FORMAT
CD

LABEL
CATALOG #
RCD 2071CD RCD 2071CD
GENRE
RELEASE DATE
4/1/2008

This is the second full-length release by Danish trio Skyphone for the Rune Grammofon label. Keld Dam Schmidt, Thomas Holst and Mads Bødker are childhood friends who grew up in the rainy marshlands of southern Jutland. Having played in various rock outfits during most of the '90s, they slowly moved towards the electronica scene and the German dub scene before starting Skyphone in 1999. Since then, they have steadily developed their own style, combining traditional rock instruments with electronics; scratching and carefully damaging the surface of the digital sounds, creating melodic pop songs without singing, leaving it to the listener to infer what the songs actually could have been and what is lurking virtually beneath the constrained, deliberately ambiguous surface of the song. With Avellaneda, they have further developed these ideas into a seamless blend of acoustic and electronic elements, rich in detail and sonic refinement, with the occasional touch of Scandinavian folk music providing a strong melodic base. The album title refers to Alonso Fernández de Avellaneda (a pseudonym) who wrote an unauthorized follow-up to Miguel de Cervantes' classic Don Quixote in 1614. The band haven't decided to what extent the amusing myths surrounding these books are relevant to the album. Thomas Holst plays bass and is responsible for the darker and sometimes moody atmospheres of Skyphone. He is also in charge of their vast archive of field recordings. Keld Dam Schmidt is the major tunesmith of the group and most often responsible for the simple but beautiful melodies. He plays modular synths and guitars, often acoustic. Mads Bødker, the youngest member, plays analog synths, samplers, toy instruments and a variety of things that go snap, crackle and pop.