I’ve recently been obsessing over a delightful album called Silent Shout, the 2006 album by Swedish brother/sister duo The Knife.  First, a little background on The Knife: Composed of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, The Knife released their debut self-titled LP in 2001 on their own label, Rabid Records.  Since then, they have released two more LPs, Deep Cuts in 2003 and Silent Shout in 2006, before announcing a three year hiatus after the release of Silent Shout.  Karin Dreijer Andersson has already turned heads in 2009 with her self-titled debut Fever Ray.  Silent Shout is truly one of the best pieces of music I’ve heard in a while.  The sound of the album could fall loosely into the genre of minimalist techno, but yet there is so much more.

The album’s sparse drum loops, simple arpeggios and thick reverb layered sound calls to mind Thom Yorke’s 2006 solo effort The Eraser.  But tracks like “Silent Shout,” “The Captain,” and “Forest Families” create an aura something closer to psychedelic trance inducing vibes of Brightblack Morning Light, Black Moth Super Rainbow or Animal Collective’s Merriweather Post Pavilion.  The vocals are unique and varied; some songs feature Olof Dreijer moaning at a distorted evil low pitch while others find their energy in the sheer power of Karin’s voice.  Whether she’s spitting rhythmically, in songs like “Neverland” or the brilliantly catchy “We Share Our Mother’s Health,” or emotionally proclaiming her love over brooding synths during “Marble House,” Karin Dreijer Andersson is what gives The Knife their cutting edge.  Upon doing more research on the group, I quickly became acquainted with their oddities.  Wearing strange masks onstage and in photo shoots, sending people to accept awards for them, etc.  For me, their mysterious personas only made the album even cooler, because Silent Shout is one of those albums whose rich textures makes you feel like you’re in another world.  The album comes paired with Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience, which is a recording of a show during the Silent Shout tour.  From the looks of photo’s like this:

I feel like I am going to need to see this DVD

mp3: “Silent Shout”
mp3: “We Share Our Mother’s Health”
mp3: “Marble House”

iTunes | Rabid Records | Official Site