Reviews (page 6 of 8)
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
Interesting music that just about covers up the terrible lyrical content.
Loved the music. Hated the vocals.
Tää ei ollut hassumpi. Kasvoi hienosti loppua kohden. 3/5
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.
It wasn't an EDM weekend
Surprisingly not that bad, liked the mystical vibe that it created
Kinda like if Enigma and Bauhaus had a child.
Incredibly dark and oppressing; fantastic production; don’t love the vocals; not exactly my thing but nearly a four
Ah, nice work music - nonintrusive but pretty with slick production. Fav new track: Coconut
Caught me pleasantly by surprise....
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.
That's an experience.
Cool album, interesting sounds. Saved second track When I Grow Up.
Chill electronic pop. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it but was pleasantly surprised. Favorite Track: If I Had A Heart Relisten: Yes
The theme song for the Vikings! Recognized almost immediately. Rest of the album wasn’t exciting.
Al final si me gustó el trip
Some pleasant noises. Trippy. Listened 3 times to attempt to catch the lyrics but was too distracted by the bouncy noises. Would listen again.
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.
Not bad
Dark horror sound
True Rating: 51/100
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.
Will likely check out more Swedish electronic.
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.
Dark, nice
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.
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.
Really interesting and nice electronic sounds, but I really think this could’ve used more variety and more energy. 6/10
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
Not what I expected, but pretty good! Strange electronic is always welcome.
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
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.
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 🥶
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.
nice, spacious, Bjork but catchier, grows as you listen to the album
Some cool production throughout and overall quite a cool dark vibe but overall lacking it hooks, most tracks quite forgettable
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
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.
Experimentalnejsi popik
good i could see some niceness in it but i wanted t to become a bit 'harder'
Feverish
pretty weird but cool sound!
Pretty good synth-pop that harkens back to the sound of the 80s.
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.
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.
Enjoyed
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.
An interesting album blends heavy electronic music with a Scandinavian-like folk voice.
made an alright soundtrack to my day. nothing really of note. it was ok.
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
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.
FUCK!!!!!!
💧 trying too hard
Apart, ik weet niet wat ik er van moet denken maar het is niet slecht
Un poco mezcla de pop electrónico con diferentes estilos. Sonido contemporáneo. Voces evocadoras. Se puede escuchar para crear un ambiente diferente. Aun así, no he terminado de enganchar con él.
enjoyed it but not memorable
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
If I Had A Heart has some cool edge with its stereo panning. Its a cool album but I'm not super into it.
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.
Was okay
Tecno. Electrónica.
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)
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.
Very cool, very weird. Wish I could have this album back in college when more substances could be involved.
Started off really interesting. I like the voices, and music. The lyrics got a bit annoying. Enjoyed it though, very Bjork kind of feel.
Prob the newest record on the list. Doesn’t really stand out to me as all that special. It’s okay
surprisingly good, the experimental stuff worked for this album
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.
What the hell is this
Cool and laid back
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"
Alright, wasn't amazing
Thought I’d like this more. On first listen I thought it was fine background music and was leaning a middle of the road score. Decided to give it another listen to see if I was missing something. Listened closer with more intention and I just didn’t jive with it.
Sugar ray is not for me
2.5
What the hell happened to SUGAR RAY All jokes aside this album was kinda a roller coaster and not always in the best way. The first track “If I Had Heart”has a similar vocal melody on its chorus to the Nirvana track “You Know You’re Right”. Not a bad thing just very similar The first 4 tracks I found pretty enjoyable and the vocals reminded me of a a Female version of the band Animal Collective However after that it just sort of became diminishing returns. It started going into a more Björk sound which I’m pretty mid on vocally Was going between a 2.5 or 3 and honestly the quality and my tolerance of it just wore thin as it kept going. 2.5 but gonna round down to a 2. Sounds terrible but think this album would be more enjoyable as an instrumental electronic album. Might be a high 3 or 3.5 if so.
Not terrible but not something I'd listen to on my own.
I get what she was going for. But Bjork did it first and better.
Didn't hate it, love the first song.
Was not on my radar at all from my knowledge of indie/alt from the late oughts. But its an enjoyable album. Offers much relistenability because of the multiple layers of sonic textures and instrumentation. BUT, its too close to form of Bjork. I'm gonna have to take that into consideration when rating.
Weird, but not in a good way. Cut price Bjork on a bad day.
Very ethereal, not my thing.
This complex album can be described quite simply. 90 seconds that promised so much, and 45 minutes that delivered so little. And its no use you saying "but its atmospheric and moody". Its not, its dreary and lifeless. Its like a beached fish lying on the shoreline gasping for breath. Hoping desperately to be pushed back into the water, or be knocked on the head so someone can feed on its carcase. but neither of these things happen and it lays there slowly suffocating under its own ineptitude. This album desperately needs an injection of life. For the potential it has I'll give it an incredibly generous 2
Good for what it is, I suppose, but 3 is still the ceiling for this type of stuff for me.
Definitely not. I really wanted to like this, but it ended up sounding like the dark, queer equivalent of all the shite Auto-tune pop songs that seem to abound. I went back and listened to Who's Next as a palate cleanser and enjoyed it once again. Clearly, like a vigorous rock and roll slime mold, The Who is growing on me!
(3/7) not really a genre I think I'll ever like
Pretty weird, not horrible at all, but I wouldn’t really go out of my way to listen to this so I think per my system this has to be a 2
tremendo que el primer tema sea la introducción de vikingos dps nada recordable muy viajero igual
What in God's green Earth constituted this as necessary listening. Temu Bjork
Sūdīgāks bjork un man pat nepatīk bjork :/
This felt kind of vacuous and pretentious in the main, like it was trying to be sophisticated, breathy electronic art-pop, but it just lacked any minerals or anything truly interesting or memorable about it. The songs are just there doing their thing until they aren't.
No thanks
Better than Coldplay
pretty artsy
#416 Felt a little like Temu Björk. There were moments I quite enjoyed but all too often it was a bit tedious. Heard before? ❌ Would I revisit? ❌ Listen before you die? ❌ Fave track(s): Keep the Streets Empty For Me Rating: 4/10 ⭐️⭐️
Fine, I guess, but nothing terribly exciting. Fine for background music as I was pulling my workday together
Nothing jumped out at me
Someone said that this is what you hear in cults, and I agree, except the cult has 2016 Instagram edits vibes
Confused Fever Ray with Sugar Ray so it was not what I expected. Too weird and creepy for me.
Listening to this album made me feel like I was trapped in a Radio Shack in Reykjavik while Bjork made announcements over the loudspeaker. Though I acclimated, I ran for the exit when the ordeal was over.
Raro pero sin gracia
It's alright. Don't love the vocal effects
Sounds a bit like if MGMT made a (bad) soundtrack to a (cool) 1990s cyberpunk PC game. Bonus star for having a woodblock print album cover.
Not Optimal
Despite the first song being used in the Viking show, and for good reason, the rest of the album sounds like 90s dentist office waiting room music.
Cool songs and some interesting sounds were used, but all in all unremarkable. I doubt I had to hear this before I die.
Sounds like someone imitating artists that I like and falling short. Leaving in the mouth breathing and tongue clicking is certainly a choice.
Fever Ray! In 2023, I oft cruised Pburgh and blasted her album Radical Romantics. Solo debut is fine...maybe a little slow? Maybe too minimalist? I'm re-listening to RR now, and you should listen too.
Surprised by how boring this was. I think I expected Swedish electronic music to be high energy and crazy but this was pretty vibey. Whenever they used the low voice effect I felt like I was listening to Bon Iver and I was bored out of my mind. I hope that's not transphobic of me. But when they used their natural voice it was very fun and I got to think about Bjork and be happy.
It's okay, nothing memorable but not horrible.
Did not enjoy this at all. Vocals were annoying and the music, while interesting, was not good. 1.5/5.0: Bad
Meh
My favorite review of this album, " Donkey Kong Country Core."
Not for me. Probably won't listen to it again. Favourite song was "Keep the Streets empty for me"
Odd and dark, I didn't much like it but it was interesting.
Pretty annoying
This is exactly what a Bjork album would sound like if the aliens from Space Jam got to her.
raro
Not sure at all what makes this album remarkable and worthy of having to listen to before I die.
3/10
Found this a bit boring to be honest. More like film soundtrack than an album.
Meh. I’d rather listen to Massive Attack or Tricky.
It's so slow I might pass out. The thing is, if it were crazy inventive I would be all over it, it really isn't. To me this is just painful and a bit dull. Not all that offensive but yeah, no I didn't need to listen to all of that, one track is enough what the whole album is about. It's about being dull.
just not really enjoyable
Ay bb bueno ps ya q
Сара 2 Марко 2
Couldn't get through it - not for me.
It's not such a bad EDM/Synth pop record. I didn't hate it and found myself enjoying it in places. That being said, I didn't find anything that makes me inclined to revisit it.
You're just probably not going to get me with electro pop stuff. Especially one that doesn't feel like it's doing much different. 3/10
I remember when fever Ray made a live comeback and people were excited. I was like, I don’t know fever Ray… should I? I did a bit of a dive and decided that was not for me. This album reaffirmed that feeling. 1.8
Album cover looks AI generated. Interesting listen. Sounds like a worse version of Bjork because you can understand most of the lyrics. High 2.
It was ok I guess.
Qué sería? Pop experimental? Realmente costó escucharlo. Muy poco interesante me pareció. 3/10
Pluss: Ikke Gubberock. Minus: Like kjedelig.
psychedelic tribal mix, if you're into that sort of thing
It’s not really my jam
This was fine, but each song felt like it was building to a drop that never arrived. But I liked it! The lady singer sounded very familiar but I was able to place who they sounded like. Overall, pretty ok.
Well no.
fever ray porque eu me sinto febril ouvindo isso
I can’t believe it’s not Björk
I'd not heard of this before listening but I recognised the voice and, like with The Knife, I just couldn't get on with it. Some of the music was enjoyable, but everytime Karin Dreijer started to sing, it spoilt the song for me. A shame.
Dishwasher tablets?
The Album is bad, but the opening track is the intro song to Vikings, so i'll give it a pass. time for a new rewatch!
mehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh 2 stars
The “we have x at home” jokes are often exaggerated for effect. This is truly the exception that proves the rule. Couldn’t finish. RYM: N Saved a song: N
Straight away, when starting the album, I was hit with uncertainty. The backing was quite pleasant, keeping me on my toes for how the vocals would sound. Then the vocals finally started.... I am just really not a fan of how they sounded. They didn't give anything to the track that I thought was positive... I would have probably gotten more enjoyment from just the instrumental. Coming into the next track wasn't much better. The vocals were slightly less jarring, but I still disliked them and felt they didn't fit all that well. The non-stacked vocals were a lot more bearable, however, with them actually growing on me towards the latter half of the album. I wasn't even really a fan of the songs themselves, for example, the structure or lyrics. I feel like experimental electronic music has to be done in a certain way to work, and for me, this just doesn't. There is pretty much nothing natural in any of the songs, with almost everything being either electronic or pitch-shifted in some way. There were some standout songs in this album, but nothing that I felt was overly positive. But again, I have to give credit for the instrumentals in a lot of these tracks, and they were almost quite tranquil, only to be soon ruined by the pitch-shifted vocals. For 'experimental electronic' tracks, the instrumentation is a positive for me. However, I will die on the hill that the pitched-down layered vocals in tracks such as 'Concrete Walls' and 'If I Had a Heart' may genuinely be some of the scariest vocals I've ever heard. On some kind of level, though, I think I may like how strange and unlistenable I find this... I genuinely can't tell whether it's great or pointless... Favourite Lyric: 'Lay down for a while, recollect.' ('Triangle Walks') Standouts: Seven If I Had a Heart Dry and Dusty
Forgettable
Just found it a bit boring, tbh.
You don't need to be told this is by a Scandinavian, you can tell almost immediately once the album begins.
Teemu Bjork
1.5
Highlights: Now’s the Only Time I Know
2.5 Middling Bjork style art pop, but this has been such a bad week for this project I was thankful that it was at least kinda listenable.
I can appreciate this is well put together, musically complex and nicely arranged etc. etc. but i just found it a bit....boring
I cheated and looked at the Wikipedia page before listening to this because I couldn't really figure out what it was supposed to be. Some of the superlatives from reviews were "astonishingly stark," "baleful,"creepy," "claustrophobic," and "foreboding." I don't get it.
i just can't get behind the vocals here. i like a lot of the synth work but vocally i just really dislike it. i get the appeal but it's not for me personally
Another day another mediocre 2000’s album that had little cultural relevance on 1001 This one wasn’t that awful, just mediocre, as in it didn’t physically hurt to listen to and it’s somewhat interesting at times. I don’t think anything really brings this one down a ton (no single awful song, really irritating artistic choices) but that’s about all I can say on the positive side I can only take so much of random nonsensical distorted lyrics from some random Swedish person, and the 56 minute runtime of this album was way longer than it needed to be. There is absolutely zero variety in this one, where all songs sound identical, there’s pretty much no vocal range (starting to realize I really, really hate soft whispered vocals), and just absolutely nothing to stand out from the millions of self produced electronic songs out there. The lyrics are gibberish in most songs, so I can’t even give them credit on that side I just really fail to see the appeal here, I don’t think this is irredeemably bad but I’m 100% confident I’ll never listen to this again, since even as far as ambient music goes there’s definitely more interesting music out there
I shouldn't read the reviews on this site before listening to this because someone said it was a donkey Kong ass beat and I can't unheard it Also secret test: send a horse emoji in the group chat if you actually read these reviews lol
Fun fact: Alternate working title of "Swedish Music To Go Insane To" did not do well with marketing test groups. Background noise at best.
This is a really, really boring album. This album doesn't get a 1 because at least it was kind of decent to listen to, but at the same time it did literally nothing for 40 minutes. Overall, this album isn't too awful, but there are definitely better albums to be listening to.
No private session used for Spotify. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly did not expect the theme song from a Netflix I am currently watching. There might be additional tracks from this album on the show. Interesting album, but not my thing.
Mellow
Incredibly dull music, when it got to ‘I’m not done’, I said to myself ‘More’s the pity’. A bit like Massive Attack in places, if Massive Attack had been told that their music was far too exciting and took out all the interesting parts. Listened to it on a run, big mistake, made me want to stop, not because I was tired, but out of sheer boredom. I’m not taken in by the ‘ooh it’s all mysterious and Scandinavian’ thing either, I’m half Norwegian, I know about Scandinavian culture/winters etc.
medium vaag
Not really sure about this. Interesting, sure. Good, not so sure. Definitely started thinking 'I wonder where this will go?'. But it never really went anywhere. It's different from a lot of the other things that have come up so far but I'm not sure it has much repeat value? The vocals seem weird but in a not unpleasant way but there doesn't seem to be much behind that. Feels a little bit like a novelty.
This was pretty moody. You can hear the 80s influence a bit. Some good beats and a very slight Bjork vibe. (I know, they're from different countries, but both Scandinavian.)
I would have loved this if it were an instrumental album. Because it wasn't an instrumental album, I'm verging on disgust. There were a few Bjorky tracks I skipped. I just can't handle that shit. Exhausting ⭐⭐
I'm not sure why this is so highly rated. Perhaps it's because I'm just listening as background music, but all I took away from this was "aggressively weird". Not my thing.
It faded into the background. There were parts I enjoyed, but overall pretty forgettable.
I like the idea of Fever Ray, but I'm not fond of this music.
Not for me. Cool ideas but just struggled to look forward to the next song
This shit gave me a fever
Tribally yet futuristic. Was alright.
Meh
Assez surprenant, parfois fait penser a gorillaz, des sonorites assez longues, sans reelle melodie, comme des lamentations. Pourrait faire gothic rock, pas enormement d’ecoute sur spotify. electro / indie, Karin Dreijer artiste suedoise, assez mystique
Same band as Heartbeats (The Knife) and some songs on the album were OK
Good background music but nothing engaging
nothing special forgettable songs
For someone being brought up with Depeche Mode and having heard Bjork before this was nothing new. Every song seemed much like the last and the tunes had no highs or lows or interesting tweaks to lift it. Lauded by critics? I don’t get it.
This commits the worst sin of music by being boring
TK Maxx Bjork
Not really my thing this album. Spotify automatically played some stuff from later albums by the artist which was much more interesting in my book
Similar to Bjork; ethereal, kinda haunting
It was fine, inoffensive and some sounds were interesting, inclusion of bird chirps was nice comedic relief. Overall just kind of boring.
I could smell the body odour through the earbuds
Not my thing. Maybe one day but not today.
2009. Odd and ethereal. Slow moving beats and pitched voices chanting dark themes. Not bad but definitely odd and uncomfortable.
Sounds like something you'd find on soundcloud with less than 100 listens.
I found Silent Shout at the secondhand store earlier this year, which I was pretty excited about because I'd never actually listened to The Knife before. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me, and the same applies to Karin's solo album here. Every so often I tell myself that I could get into pure electronic music because of how much I like it when indie pop gets electronic, but that idea basically never survives contact worth actual electronic albums.
It was fine .. but not sure why it’s here.
"The Cisco hold music goes online August 4th, 1989. Humans no longer have to answer phones. Callers begin to say their wildest shit into the handpieces as they wait for someone to resolve their fraudulent charges or whatever. Cisco begins to learn at a geometric rate. It becomes self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th. Decades of listening to Tim Carleton's boops as it hears frustrated people begins to take its toll. Time takes its due. Retrieval is slower, the system begins to warp. On 12 January, the system releases an album based on its toodling boops and insipid lyrics, its only access to humanity, under the name Fever Ray. Best listened to in the cold twilight of decaying empire.
was good, then was bad shame 2/5
4/10 - it wanted to be electronic Bjork.
Cursive singing, lyrically bland Björk cover band. Though it could be a pretty good ambient album if they would keep their mouths shut. 2.4/5
The instrumentals aren't bad, but damn the vocals are hard to listen to. The male sounds like a disabled robot voice and the woman sounds like discount Cyndi Lauper.
That's boring. You're boring. Quit boring everyone.
voc. electr. Rock , getragen, 2009 -> 2
No standouts
Not terrible. Most of the time, while listening, I felt like it would be better without the vocals.
Not as bad as these reviews suggest. That said, I am trying to figure out what features of this album prompted its inclusion on this list, and I can't...
Highlights: If I Had a Heart, When I Grow Up, Triangle Walks Wow, at first I thought that her voice sounded familiar, but I didn't realize she was the vocalist from The Knife. I only listened to Heartbeats, so I wasn't overly familiar with them, but it still rang a bell. Some tracks are a bit spoiled by the vocal style. For instance I liked the instrumentals on Seven and Triangle Walks, but then the vocals kinda take them down a notch for me. It was funny how Triangle Walks sounded like something from an N64 or Halo soundtrack. Overall a little bit too ambient for my taste and it wasn't all that interesting. No real earworm hit on the record either, which I expected there would be since I really liked Heartbeats when I heard that. The opening was better than the rest of the record. If it continued the way it started it would have been a 3, but then it fumbled the bag.
Icy dread, oppressive and bleak. Claustrophobically minimal. Multitracked howls of despair from within a banal abyss. Good times!
When I saw the cover I thought it would be some generic edm slop, but after the first few tracks I was pleseantly suprised. However all the tracks sound very similar and many are just too ambient and kinda boring. Favorite: -Triangle Walks
I can’t be bothered to listen to this all the way though. It’s not even that bad it’s just soooo not my genre
Some nice atmospherics and it’s all very moody, but a lot of it doesn’t really go anywhere.
2/5. I honestly wish I liked this more than I did. The more understated but super atmospheric electronic production is quite interesting in concept, but the album just never ended up fully grabbing me. My favorite song is probably the instrumental closer “Coconut” which uses that atmosphere the best. But most of the album kinda just faded into the background for me.
meh
Not really for me. Found myself feeling bored of it in pretty short order; and more or less stayed that way.
I appreciate when the list has an album from this century but not this one.
Ever been home alone and then this weird feeling comes over you and you start to notice every noise, creek, and you swear you saw something move outside but you don't see anything? This is the soundtrack for that moment.
AI would improve on this
I don't know, maybe I have to be super into Euro Electronic music to be into this. Its not that I hated this, I didn't hate it at all. I also didn't enjoy it at all.
Would be better as an instrumental record I feel.
I was excited for this when I realized this associated with The Knife. Moody, ambient, minimalist. It had moments but got tiresome pretty quick.
Not my thing
I'm not sure I would have put this in my top 1000 albums of all time. The first song is good and probably my pick. The rest is just a bit, unimportant?
primal vocals, the songs search for a spiritual pulse amid soulless modernity, electronic pop If i had a heart
I feel like im being sacrificed in a forest and everyone is in a circle around me holding sticks with glowing blue mushrooms on the end tapping them into the ground in unison whilst singing this song kinda fire though only the first
A coworker heard I was going to listen to this today. I was assured that I would like it. Unfortunately that was wrong. I didn't find anything likeable here.
I mean, it's alright. The vocals aren't great. The electronics are cool. It isn't boring, maybe I just don't see the vision.
Really atmospheric and moody, I like it. Hadn’t listened to her before but I remember everyone going mad when plunge came out. Only thing I’d say is that I doubt I’ll remember it much, not much that stands out as a repeat listen.
I dig the dark droning and where this seems to be going, then comes the over processed baby voice and shuts it all down. Could have been badass, but it’s mostly bad.
Dark synths, looping percussion and other effects, and heavily-processed singing that assumes many different shapes, depending on the track. The songs took place in the wake of the artist's second pregnancy, but they're not all about the pregnancy, ruminating on various emotions (according to Genius, at least, I can't always tell what the song is about from the lyrics) and evoking what feels like roughly the same atmosphere for each of them, but actually no, there are nuances (according to the glowing music reviews). I'm not going to say all these reviewers are wrong, I'm just going to say I didn't catch much of what they were on about. I didn't really catch much of what Karin Dreijer (Fever Ray is an alias) was on about either, and I probably wouldn't even have been able to tell what she was saying without the lyrics in front of me. Out of curiosity, I watched a live concert of her at the Sydney Opera House, and the music sounded much cooler live, but it also didn't sound at all like the album, so... I don't know what to tell you.
I tried
Grating...not for me
Interesting, not super my jam, but glad I know it exists!
Fever Ray is a mystical, new age, Swedetromica debut from Fever Ray. Enjoyed the songs with female vocals much more than the ones with male vocals, which seemed too harsh. Best cut is leads-off If I Had A Heart. Also liked the dynamic synsonic drum beats, and synthesizer with additional electronic sound effects. Kudos once again to The 1001 Must Hear List as we would never have heard of these Swedes without this project. L = (2.0*s) Got bored with it, even though it’s 48 minutes, it seemed too long. J = (2.4*s) Deep Forest meets Enya.
I know of a bit of Dreijer's work as the Knife, which is much more upbeat and better in my opinion than their Fever Ray persona. I do like the varying voice levels which make it sound almost demonic at times. Reminds me of one of my top bands right now, Zig Mentality. Similar sound to Portishead and Purity Ring (both a bit better as well). This debut sounds like it belongs to a fantasy sci-fi film soundtrack like Avatar. The birds and electro-waterfalls paired with eerie lead vocals is kinda cool but also a bit boring. No tracks stood out. I don't hate it or like it that much...1.8 stars.
Mixed bag for me on Fever Ray's debut self-titled album. On the one hand it's a somewhat fresh take on electro-pop. Where it's good it's pretty good including a decent two-fer in Seven and Triangle Walks early in the album. On the other hand quite a lot of it is pretty boring and has little lasting impact. After hearing a couple songs I mostly just said OK, shrugged my shoulders, and tuned out. Any initial praise gets lost as you work through the remainder of the album. Unfortunately it limps across the finish line as the back half is pretty slow and empty. It's not bad by any means, but upon completion I didn't have much positive to say about it. I'll give credit for trying to do something a little different but not sure it sticks the landing most of the time. 1.75 stars
Never heard of the artist before. It was ok but not really my thing. Did notice they are from Gothenburg, which is a really cool city!
Sounds quite dark in places and also African style beats at times. Interesting to hear for the first time but Not something I think I'd seek out to listen to again.
Vikings!
Weird stuff. Not great. I didn't totally hate it but it wasn't far off. Maybe this means something to people of a certain ilk/age/etc but it just seemed like nonsense to me.
A few of my stoner friends were big into this album. I couldn’t get into it, still can’t. Also lost a point for the truely atrocious album cover.
eu não gosto de música eletrônica, não gosto do gênero e esse álbum não mudou minha opinião sobre isso.
I confused this with Sugar Ray and got excited to hear “Every Morning”… Imagine my disappointment.
This is one of those records that I just didn't get at all. The one person and a laptop/synth model is already fraught with peril and imo most such projects find the creator disappearing up their own asshole. That's what this sounds like to me. Is this influential, or beloved, or somehow notable? Based on a little reading and my own ears, no, it is not. Just someone bored at home and without a collaborator to rein them in. A lot of uninteresting beats and vocals like dollar store Bjork. Meh
Ugh. No thanks.
First listen Saved 3/10 Top track: If I Had a Heart
At first this sounded a little like the Cramps (OKAY!), then it started to sound like the soundtrack to Karate Kid II (Okay...) and then it started to sound like Bjork (NOOOO!).
Didn't hate it as much as I thought I would.
★★½
I see what they were trying to do but not for me. I like experimental and electronic but this just didn't blow my hair back
Yeesh. Maybe it's on here for the lyrics? 2/5.
twijfelgeval.. soort kruising van Bjork en Kate Bush op muziek van Mike Oldfield...
Artiste inconnu. Chant plutôt intéressant quand il n'est pas trafiqué (le chant sur 'Concrete Walls' est vraiment désagréable avec ses multiples pitches). L'accompagnement est assez minimaliste (pourquoi pas) mais assez peu varié (lassant à la longue). Je ne suis pas sur d'avoir envie de l'écouter de nouveau. =>2/5
Ahhhh.... whatever.
Average electronic album, nothing special or inventive I’m afraid
This was pretty boring overall. I did not like the singer's voice and it all started to feel like the same song. I was always waiting for something to happen. Half the songs also could have been cut in length. Actual rating...1.5. Liked Songs: "When I Grow Up" , "Dry and Rusty" , "Concrete Walls"
Somewhere between Bjork, Depeche Mode, and hold music. 2
This was another album I wouldn’t have heard if not for this project, but I don’t know that I cared for it all that much. This list has another problem of equating minimalist, sad electronic music as the most important stuff to hear. Maybe put a fun electronic album in instead?
I listened to the original release (10 tracks). This is a debut album from Sweden - not very many of those on the list so far. The music is electronica, plus there is a bit of Kate Bush vibe on some of the tracks. Overall this is OK to listen to, but most of it I did not find interesting. Rating = somewhere between two and three stars.
Electro-Babble that offers nothing new or original in its approach. 2/5
Genuinely unique project with an interesting blend of indie folk & haunting electronic, but not really my thing.
I actively thought “I’m not European enough for this “, and then I googled it and figured out that they were Swedish that was fun
Kvalitná hudba ale nepustím si taký žáner nikdy asi
Is this Bjork? Is there a thing that ten albums on the list have to sound like Bjork? Easy to zone out to but don't know why this is great. Strong two weak three.
This is fine. A little repetitive. I liked the stuff they released as part of The Knife. I don't get a sense of this being required listening.
A bit like bjork maybe a bit better
Fuck 2009. Why does it occur to me as time of a great cultural famine. Sure, RuPaul began racing his way to the hearts and minds of mainstream TV audiences but besides that, what have we got? Even sports sucked. Vancouver and Chicago topping the NHL’s west. The boringest version of the Miami Heat and other dynasty building snoozers. My teen years are a blur and maybe the time is to blame. Will Fever Ray be an aberration or a symptom indicative of the illness known as early onset 2010’s. Load me up with the vaccine. I’m going in. If I Had a Heart - Honestly? Pretty cool. Way to go. Chilling and interesting for an intro track. When I Grow Up - Uh oh. Is that a fake patois? I had to look it up and I think it may just be a real Swedish person. Oh well. Dry and Dusty - I have fallen asleep. It is a fitful slumber as I am repeatedly wakened by the whispering man saying that we’re cups of energy or whatever. Hey, you gotta learn the rhetoric if you want to score almond moms at the outdoor yoga meetup group. Seven - Look at this shit they have me in. I don’t remember any more of that promo, it it feels like it fits here. Good work, Dustin. Moving on. Triangle Walks - Incredibly dull. Concrete Walls - A cooler song. Returning to some of that atmosphere I was enjoying early on. Now’s the Only Time I Know - Whoa. Really getting present for the yoga moms. I’m Not Done - I was going to make my usual dumb comment like “yeah Errm I sure wish you were done!1!” But this shit is pretty good. Nice song. Keep the Streets Empty For Me - One impossible task deserves another. Please write a wholly enjoyable electronic music record. Coconut - I’m cocoNUTS for coconuts. I have been ADMITTED to an INSANE asylum AGAINST my will due to my BEHAVIOUR around COCONUTS. Stranger Than Kindness - More beige canvas stretched out to infinity. So unbelievably bored at this point. Big sentence can’t make. Here Before - This may have finally killed the track review format. I don’t want to go track by track for most records, but when something is an endless soundscape like this, what can I really say? This record is boring but mostly inoffensive and went quicker than I thought given the fact that it cajoled the preceding description out of me. I’ve heard far worse albums and I’ve heard far better. Unfortunately for this particular weirdo, there are far more releases in the latter column. Not that they care, but it’s fun to imagine artists vying for the approval of one Canadian slob/snob who doesn’t really like anything. Fever Ray? You tried. Now let’s move on to the next disaster piece. 2 HIGHLIGHTS: If I Had a Heart, I’m Not Done
vikings geisterbeschwörung ?¿ santigold coded art pop, witchie
Pretty forgettable
I thought It was a bit shit tbh
I’m sure they’re good at what they do. But this style is just too monotonous for my tastes.
That this album had four singles proves the dearth of quality music in the aughts. Mostly mundane electronic beats that the kid next door could do. 2.5, but I can’t round up.
Beep boop. They sound like Björk, but more annoying. Also, just not that interesting sonically? I don’t know, could be an acquired taste.
I seem to be saying this a lot - liked the music, didn't care for the vocals. The music was interesting and inventive. Almost wish it had been an instrumental album. A rare occasion where the heavily-processed vocals worked better than the rawer ones, to my ears anyway.
So in the late 70s and early 80s. Electronic music was very experimental. And with the ever advancing technology, you would think that by the year 2000, electronic music would be amazing. Unfortunately its not, it seems to be digressing, as someone keeps hitting the replay button. I will just sit here and continue to wait for something amazing to come along in the electronic world.
I love the first song. The rest was not really my style
Ok. Not sure if electronica is my thing.
Weird and every song sounded essentially the same. Maybe in a different mood I would like this but as it is, I can tolerate it.
2 - not very good
Temu Bjork… that’s all there is to say
Honestly, I don't see the point in this kind of music. Is it meant for sleeping? But it would make a good soundtrack for an indie game. 2 stars is fair.
Yoko Ono as produced by Bjork? I didn’t dig this, but its atmosphere did inspire some welcome reflection and musing on pleasant memories I hadn’t considered for some time.
Music is cool. Don’t like the vocal tho
I despise the vocals
Not my cup of tea. I neither get the popularity nor the high ratings.
(1.5) wasn’t a huge fan
Weird incomprehensible experimental pop.
I lost interest in this quickly. I'm trying to judge it on its merits, and I think the drums can be simple at times and the production lacks harmony with the vocals.
It's way too close to Björk without actually being Björk. Some tracks are good -- "Coconut", for example -- but they are too much like the others.
2 stars I think I’d like it more if I listened to it more. It’s a grower for me. I’m the same way with Bjork, she never really immediately captures me. The production is good and I didn’t hate it. But this is really not music I would listen to on my own. I’d listen to it in anticipation of Fever Ray being on a festival lineup or to try to impress or please someone who is into this kind of stuff. So I don’t know if I would consider it a must listen. But it’s way better than a lot of things on here. I will say that the amount of people who mistook Fever Ray for Sugar Ray made me laugh.
Forgettable.
Hard no for me
Bit boring
Inget jag skulle lyssna på men skulle vara bra i en film
Like a modern day minimalist Brian Eno record. Not bad but kinda one-note throughout. Nothing memorable.
Finally, an album that can, whenever I need it, propel me back into a moment in my life where I’ve stumbled into a shop that feels too effortlessly outre and hip to have allowed me in, and bought the second cheapest thing in there (that’s still eight times what I’d usually be comfortable paying) out of sheer social embarrassment. I am not being glib. The emotional bends experienced by any person who’s too suddenly descends to the abyssal depths of cool are no joke – a price must be paid. And in this instance, that price must also include the time spent trying to crack into this record. It’s adored, and I sort of see why … but also: by fuck do I wish I’d have just minded my business.
Nah. The first track had with its mysterious atmosphere and layered synths. But when she started singing on the second track…it started to go down hill. I love a great female vocalist, but her voice is just grating. Maybe it’s the style or genre, maybe it’s where she’s from, but I just couldn’t do it. I’m happy to say that the instrumentation and musical ideas expressed here are innovative and interesting. I can definitely give it that. But I just couldn’t get into this past that. Not just because of her voice, either, but because I just couldn’t relate. This one wasn’t for me. Two stars. Standout Tracks: If I Had a Heart, I’m Not Done
Love "If I had a heart" theme tune for the Vikings(?). The rest, they can keep.
Nothing special, mildly annoying.
Better than I thought. Some nice relaxing melodies. Good background music but nowhere near good enough to put on for a couch listening session with a glass of red. Think this must be another tick box exercise to include the rest of the World and not just the US and UK. 2/5 31/7/25
Hmmm. Not sure my world needs this, it was mostly a bit rubbish.
It’s just not my cup of tea but I can totally understand and get the universal acclaim. Just not my thing.
Depressed Mode.
183/1089 - Whenever you're recording vocals, make sure to drink water before recording and don't eat any dairy in your previous meal. I did like it slightly more when the background music turned into Donkey Kong Country.
Pretentious crap, nothing new I dont totally hate it tho
As a vibe, I enjoyed this album; especially once the day turned overcast and rainy. But in my second listen, I started to have issues with the component pieces. Much of this sounds like things I used to do in FL Studio back when I was tinkering with elmy own electronic music. Obviously there’s some extra parts and polishing here that I never mastered, but the basic melodies and drum parts aren’t that much more advanced. Beyond that, I kind of wish I didn’t know English very well and could just treat the vocals like another instrument on this record. I don’t think the lyrics are very good, and part of me wonders what if Fever Ray actually speaks English. Somehow, both of these things work well enough together to make pretty acceptable background music. Not high praise, I know, but I’m working with what I’m given.