2006, Part One

This'll be the first in a multiple-part series of posts I'll do all year, assuming I don't lose interest in doing this blog before then. I'll post random 2006 releases/leaks I've been enjoying, you can follow through with buying or, uh, "buying" the whole album, or ignoring me entirely. Basically, though, checking out the artists or the new albums by the artists you already know = goal of posts.

The Knife - Silent Shout (2006)

This has been my first album-length orientation to these guys. I first heard of them through the strange video for the equally strange MIDI-synth song, "You Take My Breath Away," and, well, they certainly are strange, but wonderfully so. The work of Swedish brother-sister duo Olof Dreijer and Karen Dreijer, The Knife sort of sound, at times, like they originated inside a boombox, other times like they belong gyrating at some sweaty rave, sequencing on horse tranquilizers. Layered vocals and really cool electronic experimentation make for a surprisingly catchy record, one which the strange delivery only lends, perhaps, some credibility to. A lot of people are attending to Tiga's Sexor over this, but I think The Knife are far, far more interesting.

Anyway, you can watch the really creepy Chris Cunningham-like video for the title track at the link below, or follow the second link to download one of the better tracks, "We Share Our Mother's Health":

Watch "Silent Shout" Video

Download "We Share Our Mother's Health"

(download instructions: right-click "Copy Link Location" in Firefox, or right-click "Copy Shortcut" in Internet Explorer, paste onto URL/address bar and change "hzzp" to "http", press enter, follow instructions for download. If you can't figure out how to download and listen to these files leave a comment for this entry and your Instant Messager name or e-mail address, and I will contact you. Keep in mind that if you are looking at an old entry, YouSendIt links like these expire after a given amount of time or a large amount of downloads, so the files may no longer be available. Sorry.)