Silent Shout

iTunes Review

There's something undeniably gothic about Swedish siblings Karin and Olaf Dreijer and their icy electronic music. Some of their compositions creep around in a quiet, tightly controlled way, waiting for the right moment to inject a weird, manipulated vocal or a disorienting musical interlude that conjures chills. But at other times, they make songs verging on the cusp of the yawning pop chasm, threatening to make the leap to hawking cell phones or Volvos (you wonder how long “Like a Pen” or “Neverland” can hold out). The creepiness factor is what keeps the duo confined to the indie realm. “Silent Shout” (and its accompanying, nightmarish video) is beautiful, dark, and brooding, and really sets the tone for the album If you don’t care for it, there’s no point going on. Reportedly, Karin does all the vocals on this one, even the creepy (yikes, there’s that word again) and monsterish bits you hear that sound like Lurch, the Adams Family butler, on valium. (Yes, her "regular" voice does sound a bit Bjork-ish, and is perhaps even more edgy). Overall, this really is a work of art, the duo cleverly and carefully planning every keystroke and every loop to create music that's mesmerizing, evocative, and stimulating. It’s no wonder the record won six Swedish GRAMMYs® and topped many indie-music editors’ and writers’ year-end lists when it came out. The single, “We Share Our Mothers Health,” is astonishing in its deceptive simplicity, revealing surprising intensity and depth.