A lot has changed since Swedish electronic duo the Knife put
out their seminal third album Silent
Shout in early 2006. Burial reinvented eerie minimalism, Skrillex won two Oscars,
and James Murphy put dance-punk and the entire decade to bed. Most notably, the moody synth-pop the Swedes so avidly and effectively championed became unimaginably
trendy. And now, between the lightning-fast ascension-descension of MGMT and the
floundering emptiness of chillwave, synth revival may have just run its course.
But the Knife is back, there’s no denying that, and their absence has given
their image time to grow to a heroic level. Sure, they wrote an opera, and
vocalist Karin Andersson had some real success with her trip-hoppy side-project
Fever Ray, but the people want the Knife! Well, the Knife is what they’ll get.
The first single from the group’s upcoming album Shaking the Habitual is a stormy,
complex epic called “Full of Fire.” Every second of sound is soaked in
percussion and whining, chattering synths like flocks of alien birds headed for
warmer climes deep in the confines of your mind. It’s abrasive and unrelenting,
and upon first listen it’s a perplexing choice for a single. Then, you realize
that every snare hit, every clap, every reverberation in the sparkling landfill
was placed with purpose. The song seems to defy the laws of pop by somehow
managing to be so effortlessly rhythmic. Most indietronic bands would have been
lost in smog of their own avant-ambitions, but for the Knife it feels natural.
That being said, their most recent single “A Tooth for an
Eye,” is a great deal more palatable, and there’s nothing wrong with just
wanting to dance to some quality house music. With the underpinning of a
tenacious 4/4 bass-drum beat, the group execute seamless shifts from section to
unique section, each as pleasing to the ear as the last. This is the Knife we’re
familiar with, sparse, subtle, Andersson’s just-a-little-off-kilter vocals piercing
the ambience, both chilling and sweet. The lyrical trends are here too,
lingering on dream imagery, the surreal, or maybe just the nonsensical. Either
way, it’s fun. Most importantly, though, it feels relevant.
Shaking the Habitual
is due out April 8th or Rabid Records. Be sure not to miss it.
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