At first, it's a little difficult to determine where the Knife ends and Fever Ray begins. On paper, it's clear -- the Knife is the project of Karin Dreijer and her brother Olof, while Fever Ray is Karin with co-producers Christoffer Berg, Van Rivers, and the Subliminal Kid -- but the differences aren't as distinct when listening to Fever Ray the first few times. Initially, the album's dark, frosty atmosphere feels like a continuation of the Knife's brilliant Silent Shout, and the oddly bouncy rhythms on songs like "Triangle Walks" and "Coconut" recall the duo's exotic-yet-frozen Nordic/Caribbean fusion. Eventually, though, Fever Ray reveals itself as far darker and more intimate than anything by the Knife. The Knife's spooky impulses are usually tempered by vivid pop instincts that Fever Ray replaces with a consistently eerie mood, particularly on "Concrete Walls," which feels like an even grimmer cousin of Silent Shout's "From Off to On." However, Fever Ray's mix of confessional lyrics and chilly, blatantly synthetic and often harsh sounds make this album as successful an electronic singer/songwriter album as Björk's Homogenic. These are some of the most alluring and disturbing songs Dreijer has been involved in making: the excellent album opener "If I Had a Heart" explores possibly inhuman need with a churning, almost subliminal synth and murky bass driving Dreijer's pitch-shifted vocals (which sound more like a different part of her psyche than a different character in the song); when her untreated voice comes in, keening "will I ever ever reach the floor?" she sounds even more frail and desperate by comparison. The rest of Fever Ray follows suit, offering fragile portraits and sketches that walk the fine line between intimate and insular. Dreijer further expands on the storytelling skills she developed on Silent Shout: the characters in her songs feel even more resonant and unique, especially on "When I Grow Up," which is as fascinatingly fragmented as a child's train of thought, skipping from sentiments like "I'm very good with plants" to "I've never liked that sad look by someone who wants to be loved by you." She also has an eye for unusual details, as on "Seven"'s "November smoke/And your toes go numb." It all comes together on the haunting "Now's the Only Time I Know," where the low end of Dreijer's voice sounds especially vulnerable and the lyrics fill in just enough to be tantalizing. At times, Fever Ray threatens to become a little too mysterious, but it never sounds less than intriguing, from the layers of claps and castanets that make up the beat on "I'm Not Done" to "Keep the Streets Empty for Me"'s almost imperceptible guitars. With almost tangible textures and a striking mood of isolation and singularity, Fever Ray is a truly strange but riveting album.
I've been meaning to do this review for a couple months now. That's how long I've been enjoying Fever Ray. First, some introductions. If you know of the Swedish duo The Knife, made famous by the cover of their "Heartbeats" track by Jose Gonzalez. Fever Ray is the solo project...
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An experimentation into color, movement, absorption and the body. A joint project by Lucy McRae and Mandy Smith. It features one of my favorite songs of this year, Fever Ray’s “When I Grow Up.” Recommend you watch it in HD + full screen. Fever Ray – When I Grow Upfrom Fever Ray (2009) Related posts The Absolute [...]
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"Listen to What You're Missin'" takes you through four tracks of the week, giving you an updated look at what's good. This week I dug up some old gems and up and comers with: DJ Nujabes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 88-Keys, and Fever Ray. For more free music check out SFCritic DJ Nujabes: "Flowers" Nujabes is a Japanese producer and DJ, better known as Jun Seba (his alias is anagram of his real name). As ...
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So, listened to the new Fever Ray album which is the first release from Karin Andersson of The Knife. At first listen it sounded very much like the last Knife release "Silent Shout" but after a couple more listens I really dug into it and heard the differences. It's less layed than shout and Karin's vocals are more prevalent on this, heck they seem to be a focal point on this album. All in all ...
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Karin Dreijer Andersson, the singer of outlandish Swedish electro duo The Knife, is about to release her debut solo album under the name Fever Ray. "When I grow up", the second single off the album, is one of those rare tracks that is simply impossible to comprehend initially and yet something compells you to go back to it again and again. After two or three listens I still couldn't make up my
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One half of post-techno outfit The Knife, Fever Ray's debut is icy but intimate, experimental but quietly infectious, says James Dalrymple
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OMG!!!! I am in love with the debut from Fever Ray, which, in case you hadn't heard, is the new solo project from Karin Dreijer Andersson, one half (the better half) of The Knife. If you are a fan of that endeavor you will certainly be very pleased with this latest offering, which is a showcase of Karin.Yes yes yes, you still have the crazy vocoding going on and whacky synths, but the cheesey 4...
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Memory comes when memory's oldI am never the first to knowFollowing the stream up NorthWhere do people like us float There is room in my lapFor bruises, asses, handclapsI will never disappearFor forever, I'll be here WhisperingMorning, keep the streets empty for meMorning, keep the streets empty for me I'm laying down eating snowMy fur is hot, my tongue is coldOn a bed of spider webI think of...
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Heard about this a couple of days ago but then all of a sudden the video was no longer available. Well, today it's officialy out there and you can watch it below. Here's what the directors of the clip, Jens Klevje and Fabian Svensson, said about the video: "Fever Ray and the song Keep the Streets Empty struck us immediately with it’s fateful sound and images of abandoned suburbia begun to grow .
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AR: Her voice is so haunting and alluring, nice to see a video capture the sound through look and feel.
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One half of post-techno outfit The Knife, Fever Ray's debut is icy but intimate, experimental but quietly infectious, says James Dalrymple
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(New VIDEO) FEVER Ray, you rock! This unleashes the WILD Side of INdy.. .enjoy!I like this format so you will need to go here to see it
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"Listen to What You're Missin'" takes you through four tracks of the week, giving you an updated look at what's good. This week I dug up some old gems and up and comers with: DJ Nujabes, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, 88-Keys, and Fever Ray. For more free music check out SFCritic DJ Nujabes: "Flowers" Nujabes is a Japanese producer and DJ, better known as Jun Seba (his alias is anagram of his real name). As ...
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For those not in the know: Electronic solo artistKarin Dreijer Andersson is best known for her work in Swedish duo The Knife, but with their recent hiatus Karin decided to spawn her own solo project, Fever Ray. Her self-titled debut was released back in March and in a short, but productive few months the record has spiralled out of control - garnering fans around the globe.
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Fever Ray aka Karin Dreijer Andersson of The Knife is touring the UK. The female artist will play six shows in July with her last date taking place at this years Latitude Festival on the 17th. If you haven't heard her independent side work then you should check out her 2008 eponymous debut LP or check her Myspace HERE.
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I've been meaning to do this review for a couple months now. That's how long I've been enjoying Fever Ray. First, some introductions. If you know of the Swedish duo The Knife, made famous by the cover of their "Heartbeats" track by Jose Gonzalez. Fever Ray is the solo project...
More >
An experimentation into color, movement, absorption and the body. A joint project by Lucy McRae and Mandy Smith. It features one of my favorite songs of this year, Fever Ray’s “When I Grow Up.” Recommend you watch it in HD + full screen. Fever Ray – When I Grow Upfrom Fever Ray (2009) Related posts The Absolute [...]
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I'm sitting here at my laptop listening to The Knife and racking my brain for an excuse to post about them. There's no real news from the band since December. The side project of half the band , Fever Ray, has their debut releasing on March 18. In the meantime here are some upcoming concert dates (in Europe!) and a really awesome video that's been out for a few weeks.
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Just when I was about to call it a day, I got a hold of, in my opinion, one of the most anticipated albums of 2009 before its March 19th release date. Move over Merriweather Post Pavillion, the blog turnover rate is just too crazy. Who might I be speaking of, you may be wondering...none other than Fever Ray (Karin Dreijer of The Knife duo for those of you not yet familiar). The self-titled ...
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Rarely does a debut album impact an audience so deeply, that less than a year after its release, a 3-disc deluxe bonus package is both begged for and delivered upon. Fever Ray has just that appeal.The hauntingly fragile yet dripping with electronic pop elementally self-titled debut from the Swedish set, as led by The Knife's Karin Dreijer-Andersson, is one that will undoubtedly rise to the top ...
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Newest video from Fever Ray aka Karin Dreijer-Andersson aka one half of The Knife. This video is her fifth from her debut self-titled side project. All of her videos thus far have been amazing in visuals, details and telling a story even if it is a bit dark or odd and this one doesn’t disappoint [...]Visit Killahbeez.com for the full post.
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In what will more than likely be set in stone as the single most memorable concert we'll experience in 2009, the mysterious project from Karin Dreijer-Andersson, Fever Ray, played their first NYC show on Monday night to a sold-out-like-whoa crowd...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 If I Had a Heart |
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| 2 When I Grow Up |
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| 3 Dry and Dusty |
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| 4 Seven |
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| 5 Triangle Walks |
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| 6 Concrete Walls |
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| 7 Now's the Only Time I Know |
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| 8 I'm Not Done |
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| 9 Keep the Streets Empty for Me |
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| 10 Coconut |
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| 11 If I Had a Heart [Multimedia Track] |
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Click to purchase…
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 "Fever Ray")
