Fever Ray, aka Karin Dreijer Andersson, better known as the girlie half of the Knife has just released her debut self-titled album and strangely enough it sounds like err...The Knife. Well sort of, if the Knife were on lithium and listened to a lot of downtempo records then Fever Ray would be the new Knife. Fever Ray is a slow, methodically distant record that's as bleak as the winter sky and as dark as Sweden in the winter.
Fever Ray is a broodingly beautiful record that uses electronics and traditional instrumentation in the same breath to create the unique atmosphere this record is all about. It's minimal nature and barren soundscapes paint wide open scenes of dark pop that are alluring and calmative. Karin creates spellbinding songs with such ease and aloofness that it's as if the songs are just dying to get out of her head. "Grow Up," for example, is a stirring combination of guitars, minimal beats, and her otherworldly voice that sounds like a song from the great beyond; it is hauntingly chilled stuff that sounds like she's exercising her inner demons.
Stark and dramatic, Fever Ray will give you chills as it mesmerizes your ears and slowly takes over your soul. While you can't help but compare Fever Ray to The Knife, it's downtrodden nature takes it just one step below Karin's other band. If you can't get around the comparison (it's hard trust me), you can think of Fever Ray as a supplemental release to Silent Shout and it works pretty well as such. Fever Ray is a fantastic daydream that is an enjoyable listen from start to finish. The soundtrack to winter has arrived.
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