Holy mouth noises, Batman. Massive recording fail. Minus two stars for the mouth noises. Dang. I think I'd almost be into this if it didn't have any vocals. But the vocal style and the shit-ass-knuckle-dragging-moist-face-juice-dripping vocal recordings are absolutely trash. Also the lyrics are just inane. They include such gems as, "I'm very good with plants. When my friends are away, they let me keep the soil moist." Stupid. And it's honestly a shame because the actual music is layered, nuanced, and interesting.
Icy Scandinavian business. Far more subtle than The Knife but it is an album that reveals more and more with every listen. I am sure there must be an alternative universe out there somewhere in which The Knife were the biggest band on the planet and Fever Ray is the biggest pop star the world has ever known. It's a universe in which I want to live.
Je ne peux que remercier Fever Ray pour les moments de nostalgie que m'a offert cet album. Celui-ci s'ouvre sur le générique de la série Vikings, puis enchaîne avec la bande-originale de la série Dark. Sans surprise, c'est le générique de Prison Break qui prend le relai avant que ce ne soit ceux de Friends et d'Une Nounou D'Enfer. Après un court interlude, on entend soudain Michael de la série Ma Famille D'abord dire son cultissime "Euuuh, Non." sous les rires ininterrompus du public. Junior entre à son tour dans la pièce avec Claire et Kady accompagnés d'une série d'applaudissements. Franklin apparaît ensuite et se met à jouer du piano. "Ouuuuh" s'écrie le public. "Euuh, non." répète alors Michael. L'album termine magnifiquement avec un pet de trente secondes.
Voices range from unborn babies to reanimated corpses. Maybe that sounds icky, but it's not. Somehow, it comes from a place of warmth and empathy. Just don't ask me how. The plink-plonk, drip-drop, tip-tap noises probably help. They kind of sound like computers being melted down, which these days is a very comforting image.
So... what's original about this album? It's like Björk but more annoying and some 15 years later
En cette matinée, j'ouvrais mon placard pour récupérer l'un de mes bols et ainsi me préparer mon traditionnel flocons d'avoine/graines de lin/cacao, me faisant comme vous le savez office de petit déjeuner depuis maintenant plus d'un an. Quand soudain à ma grande stupeur, au fond de mon bol pourtant nettoyé la veille à l'aide de liquide vaisselle, une petite trace de Fever Ray subsistait. Je ne me demontais cependant surtout pas, et remis un petit coup d'éponge pour apprécier ma collation matinale. Quelques heures plus tard, alors que je selectionnais ma tenue pour mon footing du midi, l'inscription "Nike" présente sur mon short de course avait été remplacé par deux mots. "Fever" et "Ray", encore eux. Je me dis qu'il s'agissait simplement d'une coincidence, et décidait de partir courir en calecon. En revenant de ma course a pied, une douche s'imposait forcement, au vu des temperatures redevenant plus prononcées en ce mois d'août fort peu ensoleillé jusque là. Après avoir rincé la sueur présente sur mon corps, j'aggripais mon gel douche, laissant couler le precieux savon sur mes mains abimées par de nombreuses seances d'escalade, quand soudain, je sursautais: en s'ecoulant, le liquide bleu sortant du flacon avait formé les deux mêmes mots, Fever sur la main gauche, Ray sur la main droite. Et cela se poursuivit toute la journée. Je reçu l'appel d'un client, le denommé Ray Fever a 14h, à 15h c'est un colis délivré par l'entreprise Fever Ray qui m'etait destiné. Fever Ray était absolument partout. C'est un veritable cauchemar que j'ai vécu aujourd'hui, vendredi 6 août 2021, et je ne peux que supplier le generateur de vite me proposer un nouvel album.
Loved starting my day with this weird shit. It made my whole day. Been too long since I’ve knifed
I know it's not for everyone, but I love Fever Ray and The Knife. Big fan of the mood the music creates. Full marks.
Klingt als hätten Sinead O‘Connor und Björk nach den finalen Atomschlag zusammen ein Album gemacht und bevor die gute Laune mit ihnen durchzugehen droht, haben sie sich in Büßermönche verwandelt.
Loved it. Very hypnotic, trance inducing rhythms, melodies and textures. Great vocal processing production. Thought provoking, sentimental, and relatable lyrics
Hooooly shit. I’m really happy to see them on the list because Silent Shout by the Knife is one of my biggest “wtf why isn’t this on the list” albums, but at least I get this solo project. This is amazing. When I’m powering through the dregs of the list, the endless British mediocrity and cock rock, I need to remind myself that I’ll occasionally hear an album like this. The way they use their voice. This is so, so good. Favourite track: “Keep the Streets Empty for Me”
Minimalist and driving, this album creates a sparse electronic landscape that serves as the ominous backdrop for the oft altered vocals of Karin Dreijer (Fever Ray). This album is compelling and expansive and keeps its creative impulses in check as not to leave the tracks bloated. Simply put, I loved this album.
Great electronic album, very strong songs: the four singles seem arbitrary choices. Probably the best album of the 2000-2009 decade.
I really like the knife, surprised I didn't know his single act before that. Definitely good for me
Very good album. Great selection of songs, not something I'd listen to lots by myself but still great
Picked this up a while back under influence of the Vikings TV series opening sequence. On prior listens I felt like the latter half maybe dragged or got monotonous but I'm feeling on this listen maybe it merited closer attention.
This kind of stuff is extremely my shit. If late Tegan and Sara were Swedish and had a drum machine. I’m down to clown.
wow. j'aime gros beaucoup en plus la trame sonore de viking est leur création belle découverte pour moi
A pretty unique album, nothing really sounds like it. Also the loudest thing I have ever heard live
Feels timeless and locked in time at the same time, definitely pushes the envelope and is confrontational and comfortable at the same time
Je m’attendais à rien et wow. Un album très différent des autres cette semaine. J’ai toute suite embarqué avec la première chanson. Genre d’album à écouter en faisant son jogging.
Overall I liked it. It's a different sound for sure. was kind of surprised it didn't start to get old and sound repetitive. Really enjoyed the enigmatic jam session on "I'm not done". 4.0
Rating: 7/10 Beat songs: triangle walks, now’s the only time i know, keep the streets empty for me
Knowing nothing about this artist of album I was pleasantly surprised! Reminded me a bit of Bon Iver. Relaxing and good to work to.
A Mix of Sinead O'Connor's pathos nd a bit of icy Nico's voice. The music is easy to listen to, but the lyrics seem a bit banal. (7/10) Favourite Tracks: If I Had a Heart
7/10. Sounds good, but in a really boring way. Without the vocals this would make a fantastic video game soundtrack, but it's too slow for me to want to just listen to it.
I thought the vocals were a bit grating sometimes, but I liked this album a lot. Favorite track might be Coconut.
amazing album, unique sounding electronic songs that remind me of war chants or similar music
Yesterday's album was one I said you swam in. This one you submerse yourself in. Also, knew it was the Vikings' theme song from the first note.
Pretty good album. A bit slower-paced and atmospheric than The Knife, I'd say, but still very enjoyable. Having watched the TV series Vikings, I was of course very familiar with the opening song.
Ekki skemmtilegt í hefðbundnum skilningi, en mjög töff og oft glettilega spooky. Minnir mig á sjónvarpsþættina Dark. Mæli með.
Fever Ray is a new artist and new music for me. There is something in the vocals that reminded me of Tegan and Sara. Some of the music reminded me a of less serious Dead Can Dance, with Fever Ray having a little fun with the music too. The album works as a whole, but the individual tracks were different enough to keep my attention. "If I Had a Heart" is good example of what you'll get from this album. I also put "Triangle Walks", "Keep the Streets Empty for Me" and "Coconut" in my personal playlist to listen to again later. I enjoyed this album. I could easily come back for a second listen.
Only knew Fever Ray from Vikings but really enjoyed this album, would definitely listen again.
Weird and ethereal, so it's a yes for me! Plus the title track to Vikings, which is absolutely ace.
Fiilaan kyllä Fever Raytä. Alkulevy on musta parempi kuin loppupuoli, kaks avausraita levyn kohokohdat. 4/5 kiehtovan synkkää
I liked this a lot. Interesting delivery good songs and not too long. Very mysterious. 4 🌟
Best Song: If I Had a Heart. The only song on the album I knew prior to listening. Dark and brooding, it builds satisfyingly towards this sort of sombre crescendo. The lyrics also feel heavy and mysterious, lending themselves well to the overall tone of the track. Worst Song: Now's The Only Time I Know. Lacks the grit and edge of the rest of the album, sounding more like a generic pop-rock song. Overall: Atmospheric, dark, with interesting lyrics and neatly layered instrumentation. The male and female vocals provide an excellent stylistic counterpoint to one another. For rainy days, dusk and dawn.
This was very cool. I'm not a huge fan of electronic music, so I wasn't expecting to love this, but it won me over. So sparse, dark and moody. It's an odd comparison, but it reminded me a little of Peter Gabriel's Security, which is my favorite album of his. 4 stars.
Little out there. Primal, tribal, very sparse. Creepy at times. The phrase "witch house" keeps popping in my head no matter how many times I try to stop it. Favorite tracks: "Seven", "Concrete Walls"
Good album! Resonated pretty well with me this morning. I'm not sure I would actively search it out, but it's solid electronic stuff, and I would listen to it again. 3 stars.
Prob the newest record on the list. Doesn’t really stand out to me as all that special. It’s okay
Started off really interesting. I like the voices, and music. The lyrics got a bit annoying. Enjoyed it though, very Bjork kind of feel.
Very cool, very weird. Wish I could have this album back in college when more substances could be involved.
It gets a passing grade because it didn’t totally suck. Had a bit of merit to it, wouldn’t consider it torture to listen to again, but wouldn’t go out of my way to listen to it again.
I was pleasantly surprised by this record. I enjoyed the music style. lots of varying vocal tones, mysterious feels to it. this is good music for soft background listening with the occasional rise in tension and sound (suspense like)
I thought this was pretty good and was genuinely surprised I hadn't heard of it given that I like the Knife. I wasn't in love with it but see it growing on me over time.
If I Had A Heart has some cool edge with its stereo panning. Its a cool album but I'm not super into it.
J’ai eu un très bon moment d’écoute, en travaillant ça s’écoutait bien et j’étais fâchée de devoir arrêter pour aller à un meeting Je lévite stranger than kindness
Saved Prior: None Off Rip: Concrete Walls Cutting Edge: None Overall Notes: Sounded like I was attending an Icelandic tribal ceremony 100 years in the future. Cool music, but not for casual listening.
Enjoyed this more than expected, especially after the second listen. Haunting and sort of creepy in a good way Saved: If I Had A Heart, Dry And Dusty, Concrete Walls
An interesting album blends heavy electronic music with a Scandinavian-like folk voice.
Pretty decent and chill. There were a couple tracks that caught my attention and made me start thinking 3.5 or even 4, but that was fleeting.
This album is great ambient music, but not very dynamic. Sounds like really high-level amateur composition with a cool music program. Cool sounds, good music, not great.
Each song had a familiar sound to it. Maybe I've heard Fever Ray before and didn't know who it was. My wife recognized the first song as the "Vikings" theme. Not something I'd listen to regularly but it would be good for ambient music.
Quite cool on first listen, love the first track but was less into the more straight-ahead poppy ones. Triangle Walks is a highlight. Cool creepyness to it. Last track verged too far into sheer repetition for me. Overall I liked the vocal effects and manipulation, and some of the songs connected well, but this also confirmed my general dislike of electro as a genre.
Opener is cool - nice mix of electronic and acoustic instruments. Refreshing to listen to something more contemporary too and appreciate the 40+ years of studio improvements in comparison to the first few albums. This opener is a good example of a very comprehensive view of an album too, a real purpose written "opener" Vocal melodies and lyrics in When I Grow Up are crazy and unpredictable. The "Boomerang" bit with the panned noise was class and the lyric about plants were out of nowhere. They're either genius or total nonsense but most importantly, I can't tell. Beats on this album are great, simple but everything that's needed Overall impression: there is a freedom to this writing that's hard to capture. The brother and sister element goes a way to understanding that. The music has aged well too, wouldn't be out of place it released today
Some cool production throughout and overall quite a cool dark vibe but overall lacking it hooks, most tracks quite forgettable
Although this is classified as an electronic album it is not what i was expecting. There are a lot of synth progressions and the project is definitely production oriented, it doesn’t give off the holistic vibe of an electronic album. It is an album that will take multiple listens in order to pick up on little production cues and the meaning/understanding the lyrics. Overall a decent album, easy to listen to and beautiful production.
very ominous and dark pop would take a few listens to get used to and then start to like first song is in breaking bad 🥶
If there is something like ambient.pop then I think this fits in it. Though the lyrics and the structure of the album didn't caught my attention that much while listening to it, it kept me in a nice place the whole time. I don't think this is anything revolutionary or spectacular but it's nice enough I guess.
Whats that weird saliva, smacking noise in the first track?! I loved the song because of Vikings but I couldn't get over the horrible noise
When I saw the genre as electronic pop I was excited for a pre-hyper pop album but instead I was just bored for almost an hour. It’s well-produced and is very atmospheric but it feels so ambient to me. Vocals land somewhere between Björk and Lorde which makes it a shame that there were no moments on the album that highlighted the obvious technical skill. 5
Really interesting and nice electronic sounds, but I really think this could’ve used more variety and more energy. 6/10
Good to hear Scando music outside of Eurovision. Was gonna give up 3 tracks in but Seven and Triangle Walks are both superb. Turned out pretty good. Vikings is fucking sick.
Not in the 2018 version of the 1001 Albums book. Still listened. Not quite my genre, but an interesting listen. Enjoyed for the most part.
First song on the album was a banger - it's theme from 'Vikings', and has a terrific brooding, atmospheric vibe. There are a few others songs on the album that come close to that same feeling, and I appreciate the eclectic mix of musical styles on display here, but I can't say I would return to this album anytime soon.
Never listened to Fever Ray before. Will definitely return to this album, and check out others. It's a good album for when I'm doing things around the house.
I love love love their arrangements. Living, organic percussion that reminds me of Blue Man Group or Gotye (or the Knife, naturally). Confident and conservative songwriting that isn't trying to blow you away but get you slow like honey. But their whiny vocals tire me out so damn fast. When they're not whiny they're in this weird compressed autotune that's equally annoying. Probably real good just one song at a time.
Some pleasant noises. Trippy. Listened 3 times to attempt to catch the lyrics but was too distracted by the bouncy noises. Would listen again.
The theme song for the Vikings! Recognized almost immediately. Rest of the album wasn’t exciting.
Chill electronic pop. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it but was pleasantly surprised. Favorite Track: If I Had A Heart Relisten: Yes
I'm fond indeed of this album, which I think makes me a little generous in my assessment. It sounds much less experimental after hearing other music from this list, but is still unique enough to come off as above average to me. But it's music of a certain time and place in its tradition.
Ah, nice work music - nonintrusive but pretty with slick production. Fav new track: Coconut
Incredibly dark and oppressing; fantastic production; don’t love the vocals; not exactly my thing but nearly a four
Hmm, vaikea arvioitava. Kuulostaa kivalta ja hyviä tunnelmia, mutta ehkä lopulta jotenkin tehotonta tai en vaan pääse kaikkiin biiseihin sisään. Sit kuitenkin noin neljä biisiä todella kovia ja jopa ainutlaatuisia. No heitetään nyt 3.5/5, saattaa joskus nousta.
I enjoyed this for the most part, but a little goes a long way. I feel like it probably improves on repeated listenings. Fave Songs: Triangle Walks, Coconut, Seven, Concrete Walls
Has a really interesting sparseness and darkness to it, and feels reminiscent of Bjork and maybe the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Will have to revisit it later, but a 3.5 that I'm giving a 3
This was really cool, great vocals and interesting beats and hooks, but it was quite top heavy imo and I began to lose interest as the album progressed
This is an album that passed me by because, stupidly, I got Fever Ray and Sugar Ray mixed up and just avoided it. Obviously, it turns out that Fever Ray is better than Sugar Ray.
Strange electro-pop that occasionally drifts into interesting, more often swings the other way to annoying. On the opening track you can hear one of the singers smacking their lips. It's disgusting, and it's also somehow their most listened-to track. This doesn't belong on this list. Best track: Now's the Only Time I Know
Gets a 2 because it’s way better than yesterday’s and I need to have some sort of fucking curve here.
1,75. There was one interesting song but the rest of them were just not my cup of tea. A weird electronic metal like vibe
Extremely unique and the instrumentals were fun but not really my style. Would give a 2.5 if I could but not 3
Pierre me disait qu'il avait trippé ben raide alors j'étais très réceptif. Au départ. Après je me suis souvenu qu'il venait d'une époque lointaine où les sonorités tribales de Fever Ray évoquaient surement un sentiment d'appartenance fort envers son clan. Étant un homme moderne, je ne suis pas en mesure d'apprécier l'apport culturel d'une telle musique et,, malgré mon amour pour la musique électronique, doit venir à la conclusion que c'est de la moyenne cochonnerie.
Started out well enough as the music was smooth and intriguing but then eventually just became redundant and plodding. None of the vocals did anything for me and the male led tracks were basically like monk chants. Last song was terrible and really wrapped up the whole thing on a sour note.
I've definitely grown to appreciate and like electronic music much more over the last decade or so - this was a totally unknown artist for me so I had zero preconceived notions about it and was excited to hear it... In the end though....it's nice-ish enough but hasn't stood out to me; not yet sure why this is groundbreaking or impactful? It may be unfair to have to rate an album after just one listen (or one day) and there's nothing i actively dislike about this (although some of the deep vocals are a little distracting) but thus far i don't hear it as much more than decent-enough background/ambient music. 2 for "it's fine" - just not hearing much magic.
Kinda boring. I've been enjoying ambient / trip-hop type stuff (Tricky, Goldfrapp), but this was so unvaried that I had to check a few times I wasn't listening to the same song on repeat.
Very generic. Could be nice to have in the background while you're doing something else, but so would any random album like this. Nothing special about it. "Seven" was the standout song for me.
July 30, 2021 I did not particularly enjoy this. Some of the backing tracks are alright but can't get on board with the vocals.
Songschreiberisch so leidlich interessant, musikalisch irrelevant. Ich frage mich, wie man auf den Gedanken kommt, dass es eine besonders clevere Idee ist, das so zu arrangieren.
Ordinarily, I like my shape shifters to have more power pop sensibilities. This particular one doesn't have the hooks that say a Taylor Swift can't run away from. There are a lot of interesting moments happening here, and I can see where some folks ride hard for this album. This is the second album in 3 days that came from the "deleted from the original edition" list (also known as "77 Albums That You Don't Really Need To Hear Now Before You Die"). I wouldn't be sad to see it completely erased from the list, but I was surprised by how it captivated me on many tracks. It's fine, I certainly don't hate it with the white hot intensity of 1,000 suns. But there are many albums one could list that deserve a place on the list over Fever Ray. Or maybe I'm just in need of some good guitar rock after the week of moody albums this algorithm has thrown at me.
Yeah, not entirely sure how I feel about it. I didn't not enjoy it, I just didn't get that into it. 2.5 stars
I was sort of excited by this one because I know and like If I Had A Heart (from Vikings of course). Turns out that was the only track on the album worth listening too. It's just sort of weird and droning.
There's something kind of cool and minimal and Nordic here... but nothing really clicked with me. 2.5.
Kolejna silna baba na tapecie, tym razem jest to artystka solowa pani Karin Dreijer, ktora wystepuje pod pseudonimem Fever Ray, dodatkowa nute egzotycznosci dadaje pochodzenie, bo jest to wokalistka szwedzka, ktora zrebootowala swoja kariere muzyczna tym materialem, bo wczesniej byla czescia dueto elektronicznego the knife, ktory tworzyla z bratem, plyta fever ray gatunkowo takze elektroniczny pop, utrzymany w stylu ambientowych beatow, synthezatorowych wokali, niby jedna pani wokalistka, a tak roznie brzmi przez caly album, magia synthezatorow, wiec calkowicie nie moj typ muzyki, ale jednak da sie tego sluchac, chociaz czuje, ze lepiej brzmialby jako czysty ambientowy instrumental bez zbednych wokali, bo lirycznie jest to glownie opowiesc dziewczynki i zlym swiecie, oczywiscie feministyczne okulary ubrane, wiec sa traki gdzie malo mowi i mozna sie wsluchac w bicik, jak na traingle walks, tylko po to zeby dostac po mordzie synthowym iscie diabelskim wokalem concrete walls, mila niespodzianka jest to, ze poznalem skad sie wzial opening wikingowy, bo jest to fragment traka otwierajacego album, czyli if i had a heart, ktory nie bez powodu jest hajlajtem calej plyty, zawiera w sobie trzy rodzaje wokalu przewijajace sie przez reszte plyty, a dodatkowo brzmi najmniej elektronicznie z calego krazka, chociaz nie wiem czy to taka zaleta jak gatunkowo ma to byc elektroniczny pop, tak czy inaczej plyta sluchalna, ale jednak ambient z wokalami sie gryzie zbyt mocno jak dla mnie, na plejke leci wikingowy traczek jako najbardziej rozpoznawalny kawalek z dyskografii pani fever ray, a moze nie pani, bo to chyba niezbyt mile okreslenie w totalnym feminizmie
There were a few cool tracks. I liked the first song and 'Keep The Streets Empty For Me'. It's an interesting album. Some interesting sonic textures. Not really the kind of music I'm into so it was a bit of a struggle for me sometimes, but I can appreciate that this is pretty good if you like this kind of thing (stark, electronic music sound-scapes that occasionally become dance music).
As an instrument album, this would have been fantastic. But once the vocals arrived, I started to hit FF. Didn't add. If it gets re-released without the vocals, it's a five.
It was an interesting listen, but it failed to captivate me. I feel like this is really dependent on your mood. Not digging it this time around...
The album is not good or really enjoyable. I did not know this album existed nor that this artist existed. It is all electronic music and with weird vocals. Nothing is memorable. It is about 50 minutes long. Glad it was done. I did not skip any songs so that's a plus. I will round up.
Probably could've taken a nap during this. Album didn't go anywhere, but had interesting production at times. Not good enough to be considered must listen though.
Whenever I get an album like this I struggle to give the artist the benefit of the doubt, and just label it "weird for the sake of being weird". It's pretentious and Björk-y, minimalist and one-dimensional. Pitchfork-reading Gen Xer fodder, basically. On the plus side, it's not awful - it has recognisable melodies and catchiness etc. It's a unique enough sound (Björk comparison aside) that it deserves a listen, even if to just find out you don't like it. The big problem I have with it is that it's too long. When every song is exactly the same you shouldn't make your album an hour long. This would've be an easy 3 at half the length. 2/5.
“Fever Ray” by Fever Ray (2009) Electronic music by Swedish vocalist and songwriter Karin Dreijer , who plays an identity game in her public persona, which is both reflected and contradicted in her sub par lyrics. On the plus side, Dreijer enlightened me to the fact that the poet now gets to decide the preferred pronouns of her characters, rendering the ambiguity of how many people we’re dealing with meaningless. It also artificially limits her poetry by minimizing the use of the third person, as if she’s fully aware of the grammatical bind she’s gotten herself into. The self absorbed “When I Grow Up” should be retitled “If I Grow Up”. She’s fashioning a lyrical world I’d prefer not to inhabit (How’s that for reader-response criticism?). Anyway, the lyrics are uninteresting, so a few thoughts on the sound: While there is some innovation here, the compositions are lazily repetitive. There is clearly a lack of development in each track. She sets a mood and stubbornly sits on it like a pouting child. Her voice is so adulterated by electronic effects that it ceases to express human thought or feeling, if the lyrics had any. “Ah, ah, ah”, she laments (on “If I Had a Heart”), continuing “If I had a voice I would sing.” Well, perhaps. But what’s your rationale for foisting your non-singing on a serious listener? Let me know when you learn to sing, compose, arrange, or play an instrument or hire some people who can, and I’ll take another crack at this. 1/5
Not very good at all. A weird and not so good combo of alternative and electronic. Skipped several songs as they just weren’t listenable. 2.1/10
For some reason when I went to listen to this on Youtube song 1 was not included. Doesn't matter though I'm pretty sure it would have not changed my opinion on this piece of junk. Who buys this garbage? Fever Ray? Sugar Ray? If you have a Ray in your band name you're gonna suck.
Wow that was bad. I had high hopes after “If I Had A Heart" and then it just got worse and worse and worse. By the end my ears were actually hurting. Why is this album on the list at all? Just a bad album.
Super cool. primal slow techno.