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Obverse

by Trentemøller

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1.
Cold Comfort 08:30
Do we heed this cold shore To paint this coast black Cold comfort Can you crawl through this mire To take the fear away When you’re through I’ll hold you Lost the way Lost the way You’ve lost the way Can we heal this cold day And paint these hills green again Can you crawl through this mire To take the fear away When you’re through I’ll hold you Lost the way Lost the way You lost the way You lost the way You lost the way
2.
3.
Golden like someone you knew before Born out of rage Look inside the door at what is waiting now How could you respond to this somehow I'm in the field I'll walk around In the garden I ask permission  To be silent  Always listening  Now i can hear it  Now i can hear it I will deconstruct Gravity is me it’s leaking out Of my identity In the golden tide On the beach where i See a smoking gun I cover up my eyes It is not It is not But what is it  Take it apart It’s a song you heard It is not It is not But what is it  Take it apart It’s a song you heard Paint it white What will i do  If i’ve got nothing to lose What will i do  I’ve got nothing to lose
4.
5.
Blue September You got me thinking And loose my temper Do you remember Not so long ago The endless summer Mmm... Bright nights are ending Now it’s closing in But I’m still here Feeling the fire burning My bones are cold but The world is turning Sugarcoated Memories Of long lost days Flying high on fantasies In mysterious ways Mmm...
6.
Trnt 08:06
7.
Dive in to the dark dark yonder No tears to cry, only thunder Just one last kiss to remember Just one last kiss Move slowly through the drowning waves I close my eyes The walls crash down Sink deep in the night of tomorrow I sing the song of sorrow Too many tears Too many fears Remembering All dressed in white I fade away Just one last kiss to remember Just one last kiss to remember
8.
Sleeper 04:46 video
9.
Sit me down baby Tell me that you’re crazy Cause I’ve lost my mind Enough times For you Solitude is what you do When you think it’s over Walk in time W the beat I gave you Love lies Under it all Under it all Under it all Chorus Try a little Work a little Be a little But more for me Try a little Work a little Be a little  bit more for me 2nd verse As I reflect on the time Seems like I knew it All then Why would I wonder why Why would I Why would I Solitude is what you do When you think it’s over As I reflect on the time Love lies under it all Under it all Chorus Try a little Work a little Be a little bit More for me Try a little Work a little Be a little Bit more for me Try a little harder Be a little bit more for me Be a little bit more for me Be a little bit Be a little bit Be a little bit More for me
10.
Giants 05:03

about

Anders Trentemøller is a well-known multi-instrumentalist, but perhaps the one he’s most adept at is the studio itself. Obverse is the result of him expanding that skill even further.

It often feels like an instrumental album because it started life as one, the driving philosophy being “what if the pressure of having to perform these songs live is removed entirely?” Granting yourself the freedom to chase down every idea a studio offers comes with privileges.
What happens when you reverse a synth part mid-verse? Why not send an entire track through a faulty distortion pedal?
Inspiration reveals itself in a variety of forms and, before long, a simple chord progression contorts into something entirely new.

“The only thing I knew from the beginning was that this didn’t absolutely have to be an album I should be able to play live, with a band. That’s been a consideration on every record since The Last Resort. Obverse was always going to be about exploring the possibilities in my studio, with no consideration of how it could be performed on a stage, and it was completely liberating.”

It’s a work method that yielded great results for the legendary German Kosmiche/Motorik experimentalists of the 1970’s. Intentional or not, Obverse embodies more than a little of that spirit without even a hint of pastiche.

When you take the leap of faith, and jump into the river, you often drift in unintended directions, however. If something about a particular instrumental reminds you of Slowdive, the only reasonable thing to do is get Rachel Goswell on the phone to ask her if she’d like to have a go at singing on it. Trentemøller’s music has often given a respectful nod to shoegaze, and now a bonafide pioneer of the genre was in the mix on “Cold Comfort.”

So it only makes sense that Obverse would stray from its original roadmap. In due time, half of the nascent compositions featured singers, including Lina Tullgren, Lisbet Fritze, and jennylee, of Warpaint, another band deeply influenced by dream pop.

Like all great instrumentals, songs on Obverse told their own stories long before the idea of adding words to them was considered.
Music is often impelled by lyrics. In this case, the lyrics were undoubtedly compelled by the music.

While Obverse was born from a different work ethic than previous efforts, it also continues an arc that started in 2006. Each successive effort has represented a logical next step beyond the album before, and Obverse absolutely picks up where Fixion left off.

"Church Of Trees" may come out of the gate sounding like a minimalist film score, but when the heavily modulated synths finally arrive, bathed in reverb, and the warped record effects kick in, it leaves no doubt that this is a Trentemøller concoction. Motifs take their time to develop, and are followed by a pleasantly jarring non sequitur. As with its companion songs, its narrative is succinctly contained in the title of the album.
Obverse: an alternative to what your perception is. The flip side of the coin.

For the past decade Trentemøller has been perfecting this form of sonic chiaroscuro to conjure up images of severe landscapes, and to mirror the Scandinavian climate, where half the year the sun barely sets, and the other it barely tops the horizon. While there has been a film noir element in his previous work, Obverse is the first time each song has felt like a collection of pocket soundtracks.

“I have always worked with contrasts in my music and in my sound. And Obverse is no exception. It’s in the subtle clashes of feelings and tonal contradictions that I often find the pure inspiration. It’s most interesting for me when I essentially don’t know where a piece of music will take me. It may begin with a chord progression that seemingly came out of nowhere, or contemplating direct confrontations between digital and analog, organic and sterile, darkness vs. light. When I navigate those musical minefields things start to happen.”

The packaging of a Trentemøller record is intrinsically linked to the songs contained therein, though it’s never been more the case than with this release. Los Angeles based artist Jesse Draxler has contributed a cornerstone in the form of original art, which examines the black and the white, the dynamic vs. the serene, the big picture vs. the minutiae. It’s a case study in complementary contrasts, like the album itself.

While any Trentemøller song is more than capable of standing on its own, as with past projects, companion films are forthcoming, completing the artistic triune Anders has explored in recent releases. The bass driven, loping, “In The Garden,” the urgently rhythmic “Try A Little,” the kinetic, neo-ambient-meets-drum-and-bass “Foggy Figures,” the deeply narcotic “Blue September,” and the airy “Sleeper” will all get video treatments.

By fusing together a love of dream pop, dark synth-based music, film scores, and a deep connection with the stark Nordic panoramas, Anders has created an inimitable language. Ultimately Obverse resides in a genre all its own.

credits

released September 27, 2019

written, produced and mixed by anders trentemøller.
all instruments played by anders trentemøller.
additional guitar on ‘cold comfort’ and ‘foggy figures’ played by jeppe brix, on ‘one last kiss to remember’ and ‘cold comfort’ played by manoj ramdas, on ‘in the garden’ played by silas tinglef.
additional bass on ‘try a little’ by jakob falgren, on ‘in the garden’ by silas tinglef.
additional drums on ‘foggy figures’ and ‘try a little’ by jakob høyer.
vocals and lyrics performed and written on ‘cold comfort’ by rachel goswell, on ‘in the garden’ by lina tullgren, on ‘blue september’ by lisbet fritze, on ‘one last kiss to remember’ vocals and lyrics written by anders trentemøller, performed by lisbet fritze, on ‘try a little’ by jennylee.
vocals on ‘cold comfort’ engineered by steve clarke.
mastered by bo kondren at calyx.
artwork by jesse draxler — jessedraxler.com
art direction by thomas høedholt — thomashoedholt.com and anders trentemøller.
published by anders trentemøller administered by ed. babelfish/freibank, except ‘cold comfort’, ‘blue september’ and ‘one last kiss to remember’ published by anders trentemøller administered by ed. babelfish/freibank and copyright control, ‘in the garden’ published by anders trentemøller administered by ed. babelfish/freibank and no other music, ‘try a little’ by anders trentemøller administered by ed. babelfish/freibank and jennylee music [ascap], administered by kobalt songs music publishing.
lina tullgren appears courtesy of captured tracks, jennylee appears courtesy of caroline international.

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Trentemøller Copenhagen, Denmark

Anders Trentemøller´s talent for melodic moments and exceptional productions, fused with his trademark sound between indie and electronic, has established him as one of the most respected and admired artists and remixers. With ‘Fixion’ he crafted a logical successor to ‘Lost’ - a record that managed to truly capture the visceral live experience of Trentemøller as a full-band. ... more

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