Silent Shout

by The Knife

Overview

The mystique surrounding the Knife (aka Olof and Karin Dreijer) and the chilliness of their music makes it easy to conjure up images of the duo working in a studio that resembles the Fortress of Solitude, playing instruments carved out of ice. But if the vibrant pop of Deep Cuts was like the northern lights, then Silent Shout is a sunless, vast expanse of tundra. A much darker, more ambitious set of songs than the Knife's previous work, the album finds the Dreijers stretching their sonics and downplaying the overt poppiness of Deep Cuts and The Knife. But, while Silent Shout isn't as whimsical or immediate as the Knife has been in the past, it's just as inventive, if not more so. Karin Dreijer's vocals are more striking than ever; treated as another instrument in the arrangements, they're layered, pitch-shifted, and tweaked until there's almost nothing left but tones and emotions. Dreijer's tweaked whispers on "Silent Shout" add to the song's pulsing, restrained, but very real menace; on "Na Na Na," their vocals are as alien as they are virtuosic. Likewise, Karin's whimsical, detailed lyrics also have a darker cast, offering glimpses of strange people in stranger situations. "From Off to On" deals with voyeurism and TV addicts; on "Like a Pen," Dreijer describes a character's struggle with body issues with disturbing clarity: "Sharpen my body like a pen...something too small for a lens." Many of the album's songs -- especially "Forest Families," "The Captain," and "Still Light" -- have a hushed, eerie intensity, but Silent Shout also sets off flares of emotion against its frosty backdrops. The fantastic single "We Share Our Mother's Health" is sleek yet chaotic, with marauding vocals set against frantic synths and beats that sound like the aural equivalent of blood bouncing on ice. The equally fantastic but completely different-sounding "Marble House" -- which was inspired by the classic French film The Umbrellas of Chebourg -- embodies doomed romance with its gliding melody and brittle castanet rhythms. The Knife eventually shows off its more playful side with the lumbering, cartoonishly macho "One Hit," which gives the album's sinister bent a mischievous twist. Truly unique -- even for a group as singular as this one is -- Silent Shout is the Knife's most compelling work yet. ~ Heather Phares

Product Details

Release Date:	07/25/2006
Label:	Brille / Rabid/Mute
UPC:	0724596932629

Tracks

1. Silent Shout
2. Neverland
3. The Captain
4. We Share Our Mothers' Health
5. Like a Pen
6. Na Na Na
7. Marble House
8. From off to On
9. Forest Families
10. One Hit
11. Still Light
12. Silent Shout [Video]

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Knife   Primary Artist,Vocals
Andreas Nilsson   Director
Jay-Jay Johanson   Vocals
Karin Dreijer   Vocals
Marius Dydwad-Brandrud   Director

Technical Credits

The Knife   Producer,Engineer,Composer,Mixing
Henrik Jonsson   Mastering Engineer,Mastering
Jay-Jay Johanson   Composer
Skogen   Producer
Pelle Gunnerfeldt   Mixing,Mixing Engineer
Jenny Wilson   Composer
Karin Dreijer   Composer
Olof Dreijer   Composer
Christoffer Berg   Mixing
Mikael Gomilsek   Mixing,Engineer
Christopher Berg   Mixing
Peter Dahlstrom   Engineer
Marius Dydwad-Brandrud   Editing,Filmmaker