Album Review: Fever Ray
The elusive Karin Drijer Andersson is best known as the lead vocalist and one half of the electronic music duo The Knife. The Knife formed in 1999 and consists of Karin and her brother Olof Dreijer. Together they run their own record company, Rabid Records.
The Knife has quietly put out some great records including the critically acclaimed Silent Shout in 2006. Silent Shout moved The Knife into a darker direction musically, but Karin’s Fever Ray takes the listener to a much darker place that will haunt you from the depths of an oceanic abyss.
The first track and single “If I Had a Heart” begins with a depressed droning loop that continues throughout the song. This is followed by Karin’s modulated vocals which come in and evoke the mantra, “This will never end cause I want more|More, give me more, give me more.” Haunting masonic temple chants follow, complimenting her voice layers perfectly before the next verse save vocal effects. Inducing a haunting mood and raising things to an aesthetically higher octave pitch. This contrast is used throughout the record and give it the necessary amalgamation an ambient record like this deserves. The Fuck Buttons also did a damn good job remixing the track. Stereogum is streaming it here.
This record is hypnotic and brings the listener to a state of enlightenment that transcends anything The Knife has done previously by pushing the listener to a place that is both comfortable yet vulnerable. Using the juxtaposition of slow, subtle beats as a back drop to the mini-electronic drones, she creates a sound that is both ambient and psychedelic. Standout tracks like “Keep the Streets Empty for Me” and “Now is the Only TIme I Know” move the record into areas previously unexplored by anything she has done in the past.
This album is being released by Mute, and the physical release is not slated until March 23rd in the US but it was made available for digital download via Klicktrack and iTunes on January 13th. You can also stream the entire record on Klicktrack as well.
Coming in at a little over 48 minutes, Fever Ray is a brilliant record and a completely enveloping experience. Karen is able to find a separate vehicle that complements her work with The Knife, much like Thom Yorke did with The Eraser. Karin’s vocals here are unassailable, and she was able create a sound that is minimalistic yet perceptible. Along side Animal Collective, this makes for an amazing start to the new year for music, and we still have 11 months left in 2009!
Here’s the video for “If I Had a Heart,” which was directed by Andreas Nilsson. It’s one of the most chilling and well produced videos I’ve ever seen. Andreas also directed The Knife’s Silent Shout.
Fever Ray – If I had a Heart
Tracklisting:
1. If I Had A Heart
2. When I Grow Up
3. Dry & Dusty
4. Seven
5. Triangle Walks
6. Concrete Walls
7. Now’s The Only Time I Know
8. I’m Not Done
9. Keep The Streets Empty For Me
10. Coconut
http://feverray.com/
http://www.myspace.com/feverray
