Fever Ray
Fever Ray
2009
Album Summary
Fever Ray is the debut solo studio album by Fever Ray, an alias of Karin Dreijer of Swedish electronic music duo The Knife. It was released on 12 January 2009 by Rabid Records. The album spawned four singles: "If I Had a Heart", "When I Grow Up", "Triangle Walks" and "Seven".
WikipediaHoly 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.
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.
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.
So... what's original about this album? It's like Björk but more annoying and some 15 years later
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.
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.
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 love this album. Concrete walls is one of my top songs of all time. 7/5
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”
Great electronic album, very strong songs: the four singles seem arbitrary choices. Probably the best album of the 2000-2009 decade.
So dark and bleak. The synths bring everything together beautifully. The riffs are minimal and build nicely through each track with great attention paid to every note. It reminds me a bit of some of the below the radar tracks on early 80s Peter Gabriel albums. The songs are well-written and different enough to hold your interest for 50+ minutes. The lyrics are personal, murky and cryptic, full of references to snow and water and streams - like a winter in Sweden. A great album to listen to with Eraserhead running in the background. I didn’t love her use of synthesizers to get a deeper, male-voice, but hey, that was only in 2 or 3 songs and it was the thing twelve years ago, after all.
An obvious contemporary to Bjork. Fantastic soundscapes and really Ethereal and lingering vocals bring this all the way into my wheelhouse.
Loved this album! I wasn't expecting the Vikings theme song to kick off an album on this list, but it is a good song...you never know.
I really really got into this. The brooding electronic rhythm and beats are perfectly matched for the bjork-esque vocals. Triangle Walks and Keep the Streets Empty are really strong, though the whole album keeps that vibe and hits for me.
I listened to The Knife a lot but never got into this album. Very chill and cool.
This is the reason why i joined this challenge, to discover this weird and different album. Love it .5
I mean it started with a banger, and the unique energy just didn’t quit. I love music like this, especially while navigating this list. This is why I’m doing this. I prolly would have never of listened to this album otherwise.being a Vikings fan has prolly aided my love for this album. 1. If I Had a Heart 2. Concrete Walls 3. Triangle Walks 4. Seven 5. Now’s the Only Time I Know
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
dark house pop. A bit slow to start but finds a groove. downtempo sensual moody
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
Enjoyed this. Surprised by the first track being the theme tune to vikings.
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.
Good album, good memories of the times. Is still an interesting and inventive listen
Ekki skemmtilegt í hefðbundnum skilningi, en mjög töff og oft glettilega spooky. Minnir mig á sjónvarpsþættina Dark. Mæli með.
Otherworldly. An interesting and relaxed listen. Would defo listen again
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.
Strong Björk and Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith vibes. Definitely can appreciate the great instrumentals as well as the general vibe, I'm not a huge fan of the lower-pitched vocals here though, that's just a preference. Overall pretty nice!
The beats are very much my thing but the vocal pitch shifting and modulation ruin like 1/2 the songs for me. I'm so into the spare electronic sound though that I can forgive the vocals. I'd definitely prefer to have an album by The Knife on this list in its place.
This is a groove that I could stay in for hours. Unlike a lot of other electronic music, one can hop in that groove without even thinking about drugs. The second half tailed off which cost it a 5.
This feels like cyberpunk desert electro vibes. I'm not even sure what that means, but I'm here for it.
While not my style there is a lot of interesting stuff on this record.
very interesting, voice was a bit annoying but i got used to it. if i could give half stars this would be a 3.5
I liked it. I'm glad it had vocals. The female singer added to the creepy/moody feel of the album. I'm not sure if this would be an everyday listen for me but i won't mind revisiting it.
I really like this, musically really interesting, a lot of different world music themes being used. It's like a non-shitty Bjork.
One of those albums that you hear the songs and go "Oh it's THEM!" - lovely spooky soundscapes that are so much more than scene setters for TV dramas. I'll be giving this another listen in late autumn, for sure.
Favorites were "Triangle Walks" and "Keep the Streets Empty For Me". Solid album overall.
Moody and unique. Sounds a lot like The Knife but also the same person so makes sense.
At first I thought this was just 'ambient beats to study and chill to'. It is that, but also a lot more. It's atmospheric and detailed and rewards an active listen. Somehow it manages to be both ambient and catchy at the same time. The more I listen the more I like it. Rating: 4/5 Playlist track: When I Grow Up Date listened: 21/09/22
I liked it sounded like a dude wanted to make the Hotline Miami soundtrack in the style of Aphex Twin the vocals were consistently annoying but I really liked the production except for the one song that used the marimba I can’t hear the marimba without thinking of that shitty stock music every documentary uses solid 7/10