Four years later in 2010 Trentemøller realised his potential in the form of the epic Into The Great Wide Yonder that featured an orchestral triumph in electro-crossover, Sycamore Feeling. This song featured the vocals of Danish vocalist Marie Fisker, however the use of a guest vocalist was in the minority for that album.
Now in 2013 Trentemøller has released Lost, a paradoxically titled release considering on this album Trentemøller has in fact found the perfect mix of the organic and inorganic, typified by it featuring guest vocalists on seven of the album’s songs.
Opening song The Dream shows off his depth as a composer and producer with its mix of alt-country, post-goth and ambient. The song features collaboration with American slowcore act Low.
“As soon as I sat down at my Wurlitzer and wrote those chord progressions I had Mimi Parker’s [Low’s singer] voice in mind,” explains Trentemøller. So completed are his arrangements in his head that Trentemøller couldn’t imagine using any other vocalists then the ones initially envisaged. He discusses the anxiety associated with this creative stubbornness, “Not only on The Dream, but on all the songs with vocals on the album, I had specific vocalists in mind. So I had to contact these vocalists that I had written these songs for and then just cross my fingers that they would say yes. Luckily they all did. Maybe because they could feel that these song were written specifically for them?” Concludes the rugged Dane.
Those familiar with Trentemøller’s Late Night Tales compilation from 2011 will know that he featured Low’s very profound track (That’s How You Sing) Amazing Grace. He now discusses what it was like working with a band that he has so much respect for.
“I’m a huge fan of their music and they have been a constant inspiration for me the last 15 years. So for me it was a fantastic thing to have them on my album. As mentioned earlier, when I started working on the chord progression of the song I had Mimi Parker’s beautiful voice in mind so it was a great pleasure and a big honour that she actually really liked the music I sent to her and she made this magic melody and lyrics to my music,” explains an audibly awed Trentemøller.
The first single to be released from Lost, called Never Stop Running, also featured a widely regarded indie vocalist in The Drums Jonny Pierce. The sonic bed created by Trentemøller for Pierce’s crisp new-romantic tones and dark lyrics is textured bass heavy post-punk arrangement that’s driven by a consuming fuzz.
“I’m also a fan of The Drums and especially Jonny’s great voice that’s has this kind of uplifting but still melancholic vibe to it,” starts Trentemøller. He now explains how the collaboration came about, “I met him and the guys in The Drums when they were playing in Copenhagen. They asked me to do a remix of their single Days from their last album and I was a fan of their music so it felt natural to ask Jonny if he would sing on one of my songs.”
Trentemøller has mentioned in previous interviews that as a young man he was a massive The Smiths fan, so it suitable to push him on the fact many critics have compared Pierce to Morrissey.
“No! Morrisey is the biggest! And will always be, he’s in a league of his own, but Jonny is also a fantastic singer just in another way. But I can surely see the similarities, not in the lyric, but in the melodies and notes he’s doing,” protests then concedes the great Danish producer.
Finally, he shuts down the rumours that he may be returning to Australia this summer, “Unfortunately there are yet no plans for going to Australia, because we have not had any requests so far! We would love to come back as the reception last time was amazing.”
BY DENVER MAXX
