Fever Ray - Fever Ray

Genre electro-pop Publisher Mute External Links Official Fever Ray Website Fever Ray MySpace

Known for being half of the renowned electropop group The Knife, Karin Dreijer Andersson has become a powerhouse in Sweden. Winning six Swedish Grammys, The Knife's third album, Silent Shout, solidified her career as a unique and imaginative artist. Taking a break from The Knife, Andersson has now released the solo album Fever Ray. A haunting, rhythmic movement of shifting sounds, Fever Ray drills both sounds and lyrics into each listener with melodic and methodic turning. Andersson's lyrics are inspired from the dreary and shifting consciousness that losing sleep can provide, and her steady beats build the foundation for her to use a variety of other instruments. Although many of the songs will sound similar to the unattentive listener, Fever Ray is a quality foray into electronic beats and instrumentation swirling around thoughtful lyrics.

Opening the album is the single "If I Had A Heart", which encompasses the overall tone and mood of the album. Haunting yet toe-tapping, Andersson will leave the listener wondering how the creepy elements of a song can provide so much enjoyment. Considered as the hit single from the album, it captures the subconcious and dreamlike qualities that inspired Andersson. Moving through each song, listeners will be offered a different take on the spooky melodies and methodical beats that work around Andersson's lyrics. With each new perspective, the album challenges the listener to find the slight variations and nuances that created those perspectives. Aided by Andersson's lyrics, each song takes its perspective to new and unexplored avenues.

The lyrics of "Seven" show how Andersson's take on life add a necessary depth to the songs she creates. Providing a variety of stories involving the number seven, the song takes on new life and complicates the rest of the album due to the sweeping, transient lyrics. Later in the album, lyrics found in songs such as "Keep The Streets Empty For Me" continue to develop and complicate the album, all while using familar sounds. Listeners will enjoy reviewing her lyrics and finding the manifold meanings that can be extrapolated from them.

The struggle listeners will have with Fever Ray comes from the challenge mentioned previously. Some will enjoy finding the nuances and variations found within each song; others however, may not accept-- or completely miss-- that challenge. This will cause the album to seem like one continuously creepy sound. Because many of the songs feature the variation of a pounding, structural beat, listeners could easily fall in the trap of taking the songs at face value and losing the lyrical or instrumental differences that allow certain songs to stand out. If a listener isn't careful, they will miss their opportunity to really peek into Andersson's artistry and miss the reasons for creating the album.

Despite the obvious familiarity listeners will have with each song, Fever Ray provides thoughtful lyrics and haunting music. Anyone who has followed the career of The Knife, or enjoys the genre, would certainly love indulging in this album for its similarities and differences to both itself and the band it spawned from.