Apparently, Diefenbach are named after an incidental character in the Coen Brothers’ flick Fargo, a fact that in its own way elucidates what is both good and bad about this Danish act. Here is a band with mostly impeccable taste (The Byrds, Simon & Garfunkle, Air, and Mogwai are all recognisable influences). Yet, crucially, Diefenbach seem to lack any originality of their own.
As such, their second album, Set & Drift, is deeply frustrating. It occasionally flares to life, but for the most part constitutes dull, inoffensive background music.
At their worst, they recall that most sickening of US scenes, emo. The sterile production and angst-ridden lyrics of ‘Mechanical’ and ‘Skyline’ even find them stewing uncomfortably in Linkin Park territory. At other times (‘Glorious’, ‘The Right One’), they summon up all the mellifluous rock earnestness that they can and dream of being the next Coldplay.
Almost everything on the record comes on like a pastiche. A sketchy mix of break-beat and electro, ‘Favourite Friend’ touches on The Chemical Brothers – but it’s a bad, bad touch.
There are times when it pays off, however: ‘Streetlights’ is sumptuous ‘80s MOR in the vein of Phoenix. ‘Circular Motions’ and ‘On The Move’ evoke shades of Death Cab For Cutie, while the folky acoustic rhythms of ‘The Police’ is offset by a sparse techie backdrop redolent of the mellower moments of German stalwarts The Notwist.