February 17, 2016 marks the ten-year anniversary of the release of my
favorite album of the Aughts, one that has haunted me from my very
first listen, one that feels no less powerful or rich a decade later,
one that proves to be just as exciting and jarring on the 50th listen as
it does the first…
The Knife‘s
Silent Shout. A dramatic, sonic departure from its poppier predecessor, 2003’s
Deep Cuts,
the third LP from the sister/brother duo from Sweden marked a number of
creative shifts for The Knife, most notably provoking them to perform
live after years of refusing to engage in the “givens” of the music
industry.
2006
showed Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer at the height of their
collaborative, creative powers, which would carry on beyond the entirety
of
Silent Shout (the album,
the live show, the retooling of their songs for the stage, the accompanying music videos—none of which featured the pair in any way, unlike
Deep Cuts era vids
) with their fourth and final LP,
Shaking the Habitual in 2013. (They did release an album between
Silent Shout and
Shaking the Habitual called
Tomorrow, in a Year with fellow musicians Mt. Sims and Planningtorock, which served as the soundtrack for an opera inspired by Darwin’s
Origin of Species.)
I don’t mean to suggest that “darker is better” or even that
Silent Shout outdid the group’s previous efforts. I happen to think that “
Heartbeats,” the oft-covered opening track off
Deep Cuts, is the best pop song of the Aughts. Something about The Knife drives me to superlatives.
Silent Shout instead
represents the most complete, consistent, layered concept and
production for the duo. There is no obvious standout on the album; in
fact, I’ve changed my mind on what
Silent Shout‘s best track is
more times than I have with any other album. It’s a complete vision—a
jarring, beautiful, nightmarish one (“you know what I fear / the end is
always near”)—that runs from the pulsating
title track to the ten that follow, culminating in its deeply haunting epilogue, “
Still Light.”
Silent Shout is never easy, and as we all know well, none of the best works of art ever are. I saw plenty of
Deep Cuts fans left cold with
Silent Shout (and even more with
Shaking the Habitual, which at times makes
Silent Shout seem as accessible as José González’s
acoustic rendition of “Heartbeats”). I’ve witnessed “
We Share Our Mothers’ Health”
clear a dance floor that had been packed with bodies for “Heartbeats”
earlier in the night. I don’t know how many albums can make a person
feel this way in a lifetime, but
Silent Shout left such a deep
impression on me that I don’t think I’ve listened to or thought about
music the same since. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
For additional reading, check out the first
group interview with Karin and Olof since officially disbanding in 2014 following the
Shaking the Habitual tour, as they reflect on
Silent Shout a decade later.
