I heard my favourite album of the year in January, just thirteen days into the 365. Released as a digital download on 13 January, my only insight into Fever Ray, Karin Dreijer Anderson’s first solo record outside of the Knife, was its stark cover – Dreijer flanked against a paranormal lanscape of decrepit huts and overgrown wilderness.

By the end of the night I’d played Fever Ray four times, each time letting the ghostly, crow-black synths and temptuous beats scurry a bit more under my skin. Each time  pushing sleep’s promise a little further away in favour of another exploration of that strange, addictive wilderness.

It wasn’t until its official release in March that I found out how fitting this first meeting was. Fever Ray was created in the months around the birth of Dreijer’s second child, a time when she found herself continually exhausted. Sleep and awake literally carved up into interrupted patterns with no control. The Knife’s chilling electronics have sometimes felt like the mystery between sleep and awake, but this time Dreijer fully entered the realm, choosing the actual exhausted moments of her new parent self to document when reality and imagination tease each other.

The result was an album that seemed hesitant to emerge into the sunlight; the perpetual cycle of sleep exhaustion when everything seems in slow motion, far too powerful to leave behind. A dream-like state of awake slipping into an anxious state of sleep. I’ve always felt there’s something both addictive and melancholy in those moments, explored late at night, when times seems to slow down, when you’re actually too tired to sleep.

Pitchfork said this week there’s a strong case to be made that Fever Ray is the Music Video Artist of the Year. In fact I think it’s been a long time since an artist has been so consistent in producing such descriptive, fitting videos. Images that echo Fever Ray’s beautiful, haunting music. Scurrying under your skin. Licking your neck like a black dog on your shoulder.

Fever Ray’s latest video, for Keep the Streets Empty, is below. I’ve added the other videos as well.

Keep the Streets Empty For Me – Directed by Jens Klevje and Fabian Svensson

If I Had a Heart – Directed by Andreas Nilsson

When I Grow Up – Directed by Martin de Thurrah

Triangle Walks – Directed by Mikel Cee Karlsson

Seven – Directed by Johan Renck

Stranger Than Kindness – Directed by Andreas Nilsson

The title of my blog “little black bird” seem to come to me one day out of no where.  I have a feeling  this song had something to do with it..

This weeks list is compiled of musical duos that are siblings. I realise it would have been easier to do a post about siblings in music in general but i like the ideas of duos better, the whole “it’s just the two of us” kind of logic.

When brothers/sisters get together and make the choice of recording music together, whether it’s as a duo or as part of a band, there’s no telling what noise might end up being produced. It goes either one of two ways, the absolutely dreadful (The Jonas Brothers) or unbelievably good (Boards of Canada).

There are quite a few factors that come in to play when siblings unite musically. First off, do you get along? Do you get along enough to tour without constantly fighting, to make an album without arguing when the next guitar solo should come in and who should be on the front cover. Secondly, tastes. If one of you likes RnB and the other likes Death Metal then forget it. Thats not to say that for siblings to work well musically they have to like the exact same music but like most people starting up bands it helps to at least have some similar tastes. Thirdly, age difference. With the exception of the Jackson 5, if the age difference between band members is pretty big (say 10 or 15 years maybe) then it’s probably not gonna work. So with that we move onto the list..

Family Values
——————-
MP3’s

1. Boards Of Canada – The Colour Of The Fire
2. Orbital – Chime
3. The Knife – Pass This On
4. Lymbyc Systym – Ghost Clock
5. The Fiery Furnaces – Even In The Rain
6. Tiny Masters Of Today – Stickin’ It To The Man
7. Sparks – Turn Your Back On Mother Earth
8. Tiefschwarz – Yeah
9. Tegan And Sara – Back In Your Head
10. The Veronicas – Untouched

And briefly moving away from the subject of sibling duos i’ll give a nod to two of my favourite bands that just happen to include siblings.

VIDEO: Jesus And Mary Chain – Sidewalking

VIDEO: Radiohead – Reckoner

Also worth a mention in the “Siblings That Work Well Musically” category are The Stooges, Kings Of Leon,  The Breeders, The Carpenters, The Kinks, Psychedelic Furs,  The Misfits, The Black Crowes and sometimes but not all of the time…..Oasis. I have a somewhat love/hate relationship with that band. There are times when i could listen to a full album or two right through and other times when i can’t bear to listen to more than 30 seconds of one of their songs.

Meanwhile there are too many that should be lumped in the “Utter Shit Musical Siblings” category. Way too many to mention but i’ll give dishonourable mentions to The Cheeky Girls, B*Witched, The Darkness, the afore mentioned Jonas Brothers, Spandau Ballet, Bros, The Osmonds, the streak of musical piss that is Hanson and last but not least the latest siblings to jump on the Shit Siblings band wagon….JedFUCKINGWard. Go away please you two annoying quiffed up little bag of bones.

I’ve actually succeeded in bemusing myself as to how i’ve managed to include the names Jedward and Boards of Canada into the same post.

Oh and The Corrs are worth a mention (and a picture) simply because of Andrea Corr. I had a major crush on her in my early teenage years.

S.I.T Wolf  X

Intro: per la spiegazione del perché e del percome della peraltro deliziosa collana “Zeros”, si veda questo post. Per le puntate precedenti, cliccare qui.

Quindi Knife, o The Knife. Ma soprattutto “Silent Shout”, il primo (e ultimo?) disco scoperto grazie a quegli insopportabili snob di Pitchfork. Perché sono affascinato dall’elettronica, ma quella più facilona e digeribile. Chemical Brothers, Daft Punk, addirittura Air e giù di lì, non di certo faccende più criptiche. “Silent Shout” è stato il disco del 2006 per il magazine online statunitense e mi ha accompagnato quindi nei viaggi automobilistici per le vacanze natalizie, quando fuori era tutto neve e ghiaccio. Il panorama unico e perfetto per addentrarsi nelle distese immacolate di un album strepitoso. Di cui è vagamente difficile parlare se non si sa veramente molto della materia o se perlomeno non si sa fingere alla grande. Due qualità che, per ora, mi mancano.

Ma “Silent Shout” rimane apprezzabile e comprensibile anche se ignoranti e capre: i suoni semplicemente epici, pesanti, granitici e perfettamente intellegibili creano vere e proprie evocazioni glaciali. Come la terra d’appartenenza del duo che firma tutto il firmabile, metà del quale ha pubblicato nel 2009 sotto nome Fever Ray (ne ho addirittura scritto proprio qui sopra).
Le associazioni mentali sono spesso frutto del mistero e quindi il paradiso fiscale di psicoterapeuti e associati: sarà quel che sarà, ma “Silent Shout” è il digitale essenziale primordiale, ma già con dello strato di raffinatezza, tipico dell’epoca 16bit. E’ un po’ Amiga, è molto Megadrive europeo.
Nelle voce effettate e vagamente inquietanti, nel dilaniarsi e dilungarsi dei battiti, nei tempi che i due Knife si prendono per creare la giusta atmosfera e soppesare con calma ogni suono. Quel che stupisce è la capacità del disco di farsi volere bene a prescindere dalle condizioni di ascolto: non è di quelle strepitose mattonelle che assumono un senso solo quando fuori tutto gira in maniera concorde. Anche se “Silent Shout” è neve e gelo e pini e motoslitte e gatto delle nevi, l’impatto straniante, rilassante e a tratti addirittura tabbozzo riesce a mantenersi pressoché intatto pure in mezzo a un luglio inclemente.
Tra i brividi di “The Captain” (che si prende quasi tre minuti per allacciarsi le scarpe e iniziare a correre in mezzo agli acidi) e la struttura più pop di “We Share Our Mother’s Healt”. Dalla nenia appena un po’ straniante di “Na na na”, al coro degli alpini dispersi di “Marble House” (la canzone proposta in apertura di post). Amore da rimanere con la lingua attaccata al pilone della seggiovia.

Gli altri classificati: ripeto, anno mesto. Avrebbero vinto i Pearl Jam con l’album omonimo se il nuovo “Backspacer” non fosse decisamente più a fuoco.  Avrebbero vinto i Raconteurs di “Broken Boy Soldiers” se solo non sapessero un po’ di divertissement tanto per fare. Ci sarebbe stato spazio anche per “La Malavita” (Baustelle), se solo “Amen” non mi avesse convinto di più. In mezzo qualcosa di non troppissimo esaltantissimo di Gomez (“How We Operate”), Twilight Singers (“Powder Burns”), Red Hot Chili Peppers (“Stadium Arcadium”) e il delizioso “The Eraser” di Thom Yorke. Ma potrà mica vincere sempre lui, no?

Fai lo share!

A few weeks ago a friend and fellow music writer called Finbarr Bermingham (a fine Irish name) asked me to contribute to a feature he’s running on his blog, where various scribes are picking their top five albums of the past decade.

I put it off for a while as it’s not the easiest task to whittle down everything you’ve listened to over the past ten years into five standout LPs, but then one evening I thought I’d stop procrastinating and just do it. Finbarr was looking for personal choices, not some kind of authoritative barometer of the decade, so I just shortlisted the albums that had stuck with me, the few I can still enjoy after hundreds of plays.

And the top five I came up with? Well, here they are, in no particular order:

Radiohead – Amnesiac
OutKast – Speakerboxx / The Love Below
Midlake – The Trials of Van Occupanther
The Strokes – Is This It
The Knife – Silent Shout

You can read my reasons for choosing them in full over on Finbarr’s blog.

If he asked me to do this in six months time I’d probably come up with five completely different choices, but there you go. If you haven’t heard one of the five I recommend you give it a spin, as they’re (obviously) all extremely good.

And what are your top five albums of the Noughties? I’ll give you a few weeks to post your comment.

Ladyboys at the Westcott on Friady

PREVIEW: VISIT Little Dragon’s Website

Westcott Theater was cold and empty.  Little Dragon, a synthy Swedish quartet, attract blog hype, but didn’t rope in more than 60 Syracuse residents to the Friday night show, leading to a general impression of awkward sparseness.  Zach James, a member of supporting act Ladyboys (not to mention one half of The Smash Brothers), performed a long DJ set as if expecting a sudden rush of latecomers.  Reinforcements never arrived, but the small crowd thankfully grouped toward the front of the stage as proceedings began.

Zach James was joined onstage by bandmates Beccah Avraham and Jacob Leon (the other half of The Smash Brothers), and Ladyboys’ set began.  Ladyboys, an electronic act holding local ties, were a charming and nerdy onstage presence.  While displaying a somewhat shaky and amateurish musical temperament, they played their way vibrantly through a collection of surprisingly sophisticated tracks that drew on hip-hop and dance influences.  The set was commendable for the interplay among the distinctive personalities and musical abilities of the three band members, and for the forays the group took into rap and live vocal manipulation.

Although the crowd seemed to contain a noticeable contingent of friends of the band, those familiar and those unfamiliar with Ladyboys were won over by the trio’s unique sensibilities.  A surprising set highlight came from a collaboration with singer Kimanii, who nailed dance hooks with ease and with an out-of-place reggae flavor that somehow worked within the context of the night.

Ladyboys wrapped up in a hurry, and the time soon came for headliners Little Dragon to take over.  The art-rockers, who initially attracted a cult fan base as a result of the distinctive R&B tinge of their self-titled debut, seemed to have shed a majority of their soulful edge for the night, settling instead on an icy pop sound reminiscent of fellow Swede Fever Ray.

The result was a little unexpected, but nonetheless impressive.  The band played thoughtfully gracefully through complicated rhythmic material, at times coming off as an adult-contemporary Deerhoof.   “We play everything live,” boasted frontwoman and star-of-the-show Yukimi Nagano.  The small, but clearly dedicated audience danced enthusiastically throughout the set and politely retorted Nagano’s stage banter.  Her statement that the show was the band’s first in Syracuse inspired shouts of “Thank you!”

In spite of these demonstrations of energy and technical facility, Little Dragon’s set was marked with a sense of detachment from the audience.  The material, while well-performed, lacked spontaneity and occasionally came off cold, undoubtedly owing in part to the shift in sound of their newest album, August’s Machine Dreams, away from their soulful debut.  Nagano’s trademark smoky voice, which works best when perched just above the instrumental texture, was not given ample opportunity to stand out through the driving dynamic of the full band.

These feelings of impersonality climaxed as the band denied the crowd’s request for an encore.  Fans who had hung expectantly by the stage front eventually gave up and made their way toward the exits, as “Heartbeats” by The Knife fittingly blared through the PA.   While Little Dragon clearly trump openers Ladyboys in terms of musical maturity and technical prowess, perhaps they could take a page from Ladyboys’ book in the “engagement-of-audience” department.  Ladyboys’ pleasant and off-beat demeanors shone through a night of well-rehearsed, but aloof showmanship.

– Kevin Hegedus
– Photos by Alyssa Stone

1 – If I Had A Heart
2 – Triangle Walks
3 – Concrete Walls
4 – Seven
5 – I’m Not Done
6 – Now’s The Only Time I Know
7 – Keep The Streets Empty
8 – Dry And Dusty
9 – Stranger Than Kindness
10 – When I Grow Up
11 – Coconut

This is a live version of one of the albums of the year. This was given away as a free download with The Guardian from 24 till 26 October 2oo9. As well as the album tracks, there’s a cover of Nick Cave and Anita Lane’s Stranger Than Kindness.
The US version of the Fever Ray Deluxe Edition is out on November 24. Pre-order at Amazon.

If you are an insomniac, do not listen to The Knife’s “Heartbeats” right before bed. This goes double if you happen to be sleeping alone.

Det börjar som en vacker technobit och fortsätter med en fantastisk synthslinga som helt för tankarna till The Knife. Och är det så att Oni Ayhun faktiskt är just Olof Dreijer från The Knife? Sen senaste spåret OAR 0003 släpptes i maj iår har spekulationerna varit många. Ett antal liveshower (bland annat denna på Inkonst i Malmö) på senaste tiden ska dock ha slagit fast identiteten.

Ärligt talat så kvittar det om det är den svenske technolegendaren Olof Dreijer eller en väldigt kompetent kopia som döljer sig bakom Oni Ayhun. Det  som kommer ut från denna artist är helt underbart. Idag ger TAjT er b-sidan av senaste ep:n OAR 0003. Det är magiskt.

Oni Ayhun – OAR 0003-B

Buy OAR 0003 and other releases from Oni Ayhun at junodownload

My favorite tune of the day. Enjoy ! Triangle Walks (Rex The Dog Remix.

Fever Ray

Sometimes a song exists on record, and it’s pretty pleasant, y’know. It’s Royksopp, kind of doing a less good version of the Girl and the Robot but with Karin Knife instead of Robyn, fair enough. Nothing special. Then it gets a video like this and suddenly it all makes sense. Not that the video actually makes sense, of course. It’s nuts. Hairy topless dude riding a drumkit motorbike. More topless dudes drumming in a field. It shouldn’t work, but it more than works. It turns an ordinary track into a last days of summer anthem, something actually rather glorious. Nice work video man.

Sådan en mandag formiddag er jo altid fremragende, især når der er et spændende oplæg der skal på fabrikeres til det nuværende studie, The Knife og deres visuelle performance. Det er dog blot en sidebemærkning til hvad dette indlæg egentlig drejer sig om (hvilket overskriften vel egentlig også er).

På Musikhuset i Århus, vil der den sidste fredag i indeværende måned, blive vist operaen: I morgen om et år. En opera med musik af netop The Knife. De har i samarbejde med den danske teatergruppe Hotel Pro Forma, skabt denne forestilling, og hvad videoklippene viser, så er der noget af en futuristisk oplevelse i vente. Jeg er personligt meget fristet, til at se udfaldet af denne meget aparte blanding, mellem klassicisme og mystificeret-elektro.

Det er altså d. 27. og d. 28. november på Musikhuset i Århus. Så vidt jeg ved, så har Københavnerne allerede haft glæde af at se forestillingen, og modtagelsen har været fin, så mon ikke der er en særlig oplevelse i vente.

Se mere omtale her.

With Halloween just around the corner i thought it’d be a good idea to do a post about bands and artists that hide behind sweaty masks, helmets and other head fitting objects whilst plying their trade up on the stage.

Is it for “artisctic” reasons or are they just ugly? Who knows?….Who cares? Let’s be honest, it looks fucking cool if you can pull it off right (take note guys from Slipknot!) and it adds mystery.

So, Halloween lovers, i’d like you to meet….

The Toxic Avenger

The Toxic Avenger (aka Simon DeLacroix) is a French DJ who puts his focus on making scratch based tracks blended with melody. He usually releases material through the well respected (well i respect them anyway) record label iheartcomix.
MP3: The Toxic Avenger – Superheroes (Toxic Self Version)

Bloody Beetroots

What can i say about The Bloody Beetroots that i haven’t said before on this blog? Nothing, thats what. Two absolutely insame Italian DJ’s with a taste for wonky basslines and having fun. What more could we want?
MP3: Bloody Beetroots – Rombo (feat Congorock)

MSTRKRFT

MSTRKRFT came about while JFK (thats Jesse F Keeler to those unaware) was still playing with Death From Above 1979. Originally started out as a “dancier techno group but NOT a side-project”,  MSTRKRFT succeeded in evolving into a totally different beast after the unfortunate break up of DFA1979. And although i was gutted to say the least when one of my favourite bands of all time broke up, it makes it that little bit easier that we were gifted with some amazing new sounds.
MP3: MSTRKFT – Heartbreaker (feat John Legend)

Deadmau5

Joel Zimmerman or Deadmau5 to you and i is a DJ and producer from Canada who just released his very successful debut album last year. The 28 year old had been on the scene for some years beforehand and began making digitalised music at a very early age. If you go see him play you certainly won’t miss him….he wears an absolutely giant modified Mouse hat/mask/helmet.
MP3: Deadmau5 – I Remember

The Sound of Animals Fighting

Sadly this supergroup don’t exist anymore, they called it a day after providing us with 3 albums and a DVD. The group consisted mainly of member of RX Bandits but over the course of their 5 year life contributers included members of Finch, Atreyu, The Autumns and many more. The music world is a less frenetic place without them, that’s a compliment by the way.
MP3: The Sound Of Animals Fighting – Uzbekistan

The Knife

Swedish duo The Knife found the big time when Jose Gonzalez done a cover of their song “Heartbeats” and got it featured in THAT Sony advert. That song featured on the album “Silent Shout” , the siblings have since released another album and Karen Dreijer Andersson has went on to release a well acclaimed solo album under the name Fever Ray. Check it out if you can. The Knife are definitely a band that have to be seen live to truly experience the mysterious energy the have in their songs.
MP3: The Knife – We Share Our Mothers Health

Redshape

Not much is known about the enigma that is Redshape. He’s released 15 maybe 17 tracks maximum over the last few years. Apparently he lives in Berlin but who knows. Redshape is a classic case of a man keeping himself to himself.
MP3: Redshape – Seduce Me

HeartsRevolution

This electro twosome gained notoriety in 2008 not only for their song but also for the HeartsChallenger. the HeartsChallenger is a modified ice cream van that they two used and still do occasionally use to move between gigs. A different take on a tourbus so to speak but i know what i’d rather have. I’ve followed them since late 2007 and annoyingly they didn’t seem to be making any progress or releasing solid material BUT there’s news in the pipeline of a 13 track album coming soon, so it’s all good.
MP3: HeartsRevolution – Choose Your Own Adventure

Daft Punk

The classic Daft Punk. Call them what you will, “sellouts”, “song thieves”, whatever but the one thing that constantly follows the French robots about is that they were one the pioneers of  French House music and helped get it to where it currently sits in the popularity stakes. Yes, they may steal samples left, right and centre to make their songs but who cares when they make songs as good as “Robot Rock”, “Da Funk” etc
MP3: Daft Punk – Da Funk

Scan 7

Another unknown entity, literally, i have no knowledge of who these guys are or where they come from. I’m guessing Berlin but only cos of the type of songs they seem to produce.
MP3: Scan 7 – Bad Mood Rising

The Network

The Network is a classic case of a famous band trying to create an alter ego and fucking it up royally. Before they had even released anything everybody knew who they were, it’s Green Day in disguise! Back in the days when i read Kerrang (yes, i’m ashamed) there was an article outing them and when the songs were released it only confirmed what was already known. Billie Joe Armstrong has one of the most distinctive voices in music, who were they trying to fool?
MP3: The Network – Roshambo

Dr Lektroluv

The Doc is a Belgian DJ with a rather dapper and eccentric stage persona. Not only does he wear a tuxedo and a green mask on stage, he also mixes his sets with the assistance of a telephone instead of the usual headphones. He’s been around since the early noughties and releases several mixes on the N.E.W.S label.
MP3: Dr Lektroluv – Moscow Discow

Altern8

Haha, god, Altern8, the bass heavy rave monsters. Famed for there chemical suits and face masks the Stafford duo had a habit of playing at “illegal” rave parties back in the early 90’s. At a time when such events were banned, Altern8 made a name for themsleves by being bolshy and grabbing the scene by the throat, they changed the rave scene with their new outlook on equipment and tools that managed to make anthems out of a few beats and a synth line.
MP3: Altern8 – Frequency (DFRNT Remix)

Kill The Noise

I couldn’t come to the conclusion without adding some real love them or hate them bands into the mix….

The Locust

These absolute mentalists, led by Justin Pearson, have a real penchant for some very strange song titles indeed. With songs usually lasting no more than a minute and a half they are short, sharp and definitely to the point. I’ve seen them live twice. Both times they were supporting other acts. I didn’t know whether to feel priviliged or violated when i experienced them live but i was intrigued to say the least.
MP3: The Locust – Priest With Sexually Transmitted Disease Get Out Of My Bed

Slipknot

Some people hate Slipknot, some love them. I sit on the fence, they don’t bother me. I always go by my belief that every single band/artist has one good song in them and there are two Slipknot songs that i happen to quite enjoy, one being “Wait and Bleed” and the other…
MP3: Slipknot – Left Behind

Now, to finish off the man who has been portrayed in film and theatre by many a mere mortal..the one and only…

The Phantom Of The Opera

And the conclusion? Simple, masks are cool. Especially at this time of year.

S.I.T Wolf  X

This brave world of electro scares me a tad. Uncompromising instrumentation, odd vocals, jilted fashion…. it feels like I’ve been invited to a party that kicked off ages ago by someone who doesn’t even like me that much just so they can mess around with my head. It’s not an instantly welcoming world, but hey, I’ll try anything multiple times. Fever Ray is the solo album from Karin Dreijer Andersson, the female half of Swedish duo The Knife, and whilst it’s recognisably made by one half of that Scandinavian electropop machine, it’s a far more measured, intense and less welcoming proposition.

If there’s a tendency with side-projects to sound too much like your day job, someone clearly forgot to tell Karin, because Fever Ray is not a particularly easy listen. The artwork, videos and promo visuals point to a darker tone, and that’s evident throughout the album. There is light, but it’s jostling for position with some dark, electronic paranoia, which makes for an interesting mix. For instance, droning loops, slow beats and some downright spooky vocal effects dominate opener If I Had A Heart, and bright synth tones with wailing, brash Bjork-style vocals are all over on When I Grow Up. It’s an interesting combination that could’ve gone horribly wrong in the hands of anyone else, but Anderson holds it all together with some constantly morphing vocals and clear ability in her craft.

Perhaps the reason that Fever Ray is such an interesting album is that it’s a difficult listen. There’s nothing really dancefloor worthy to speak of, there’s many a paranoid moment to go with some desolate songs and even the more positive numbers aren’t instantly accessible. It’s not a record that’ll welcome you with open arms, and it’ll make you work before you really get a grasp of it and enjoy what’s on offer. Inkeeping with the music, the videos Fever Ray’s singles are equally evocative, mysterious and downright odd at times, but they add something to the unique mystique Anderson has created with her debut solo effort. It’s not an easy journey, but it’s one worth taking.

8/10

Video for When I Grow Up:

Recém saido do forno o novo vídeo da xamã sueca Karen Dreijer,  a faixa em questão é Stranger Than Kindness (um cover do não menos obscuro Nick Cave), que pertence a versão deluxe do seu projeto solo, o Fever Ray, que estará a venda até o final do mês.

Uma noite fria e cheia de neblina em algum lugar perdido na escandinávia, ali personagens das mais absurdas formas, temerosos pelo seus destino, vagam para uma antiga casa, que emite sons e luzes estranhas – arte pura.

Surrealismo, obscurantismo, pós-modernidade tudo isso e muito mais nesse vídeo dirigido pelo também sueco Andreas Nilsen, responsável de quase todos os vídeos do The Knife e do Royksopp.

Vê se não se assusta.

Hinter dem Pseudonym Fever Ray verbirgt sich Karin Dreijer Andersson – nein, das ist nicht die ältere Dame in dem sehr gut gemachten Video. Vielmehr handelt es sich bei Dreijer Andersson um die eine Hälfte des Electronic-Duo The Knife, vielleicht bekannt durch den großartigen Track “Heartbeats” bzw. dessen noch bessere Coverversion von José Gonzales. Während The Knife noch an neuen Aufnahmen schrauben, hat Fever Ray Anfang des Jahres ihr erstes Soloalbum abgeliefert, eine fabelhaft minimalistische Scheibe, die einen von der ersten bis zur letzten Sekunde in eine Art Trance verfrachtet und einen nicht so schnel wieder loslässt. Ein Track vom Kaliber “Heartbeats” fehlt freilich darauf, was aber nicht weiter stört. Das aktuelle Video zur nunmehr vierten Singleauskopplung “Seven”: