Despite a seven-year hiatus following her debut, Fever Ray remains just as enigmatic yet even more restless on her sophomore album.
Fever Ray/ Plunge
As one half of defunct Swedish electronic sibling duo The Knife, Karin Dreijer Andersson was no stranger to crafting dance music shrouded in a certain degree of intrigue and outlandishness. But when she released her debut solo LP under the moniker Fever Ray in 2009, she took that aesthetic and amped it up with glacial, gothic eeriness that all at once evoked witches in the woods and desolate landscapes of Iceland. If you happen to be an avid series watcher, you might even recognise that album's iconic lead single, If I Had a Heart, from several TV series including Vikings, Breaking Bad, Black Sails and Misfits.
After The Knife ended their decade-long career with their fourth and final album, 2013's deeply political Shaking the Habitual, Andersson has remained largely inactive -- save for a one-off collaboration with Amsterdam-based DJ/producer Shinedoe on the latter's single Discourse My New Romance -- until now.
Entitled Plunge, Fever Ray's second studio outing drops stealthily without warning following the release of its poppy, tongue-in-cheek lead cut, To the Moon and Back, late last month. Helmed by a handful of old and new producers (Paula Temple, Deena Abdelwahed, Nídia, Tami T, Peder Mannerfelt, Johannes Berglund), the album is sonically denser and more lyrically revealing than its predecessor.
Right off the bat, opener Wanna Sip, coupled with twitchy synth wail and menacing sound effects, conveys the record's central themes of love, lust, and the lack thereof: "A funny trick, a head shake/ I wanna peek, I wanna sip/ I show a funny trick, my head shake/ Giving me a peek, giving me a sip." The cavernous Mustn't Hurry and erratic A Part of Us (featuring Tami T) are redolent of The Knife's best tracks, and should give fans of the defunct duo a hefty slice of nostalgia.
Underpinned by sinister electronics, Falling throbs and thuds along heavily as Andersson intones "She makes me feel dirty again." IDK About You and This Country bring to mind Bjork during her Medulla/Volta period. On the latter, she points the finger at her country for rendering her celibate while yelping "Free abortions!/ And clean water!/ Destroy nuclear!/ Destroy boring!"
Elsewhere, there's a pulsing instrumental title track, which is offset by the moody majesty of strings-laden Red Trails and the manic uneasiness of An Itch. Here, libidinous desire is likened to a pesky itch that "started to follow me/ The sensation would cut in a sister/ A world of pain, the digits' spree …" Closer Mama's Hand finds her touching upon motherhood over a swirl of warm, skittering beats.
Unlike the record that precedes it, Plunge is hinged upon a sense of unyielding nervousness represented by the harsh and jarring production. Thematically speaking, this is Fever Ray at her boldest, most political and sexually liberating with her feet still firmly planted in the darkest corner of the dimly lit dance floor.
THE PLAYLIST
Daboyway (feat Angkanang Koonchai)/ Kaow Ma
It might not be the most obvious pairing, but Daboyway (Way Thaitanium) proves that hip hop and molam do go hand in hand on his new cut, Khao Ma. Featuring the grande dame of molam, Angkanang Koonchai, the track infuses Koonchai's iconic singing style with Way's swaggering flow. "Welcome to the Land of Smile/ Come chill, you can stay a while," he raps on what might as well be the soundtrack to a TAT campaign. So far, there's still no word as to when we his full-length debut can be expected, but given how prolific this guy is, hopefully it won't be long.
Sia/ Santa's Coming For Us
Guess who's jumping on the holiday album wagon this year? Yup, it's elusive Australian singer-songwriter Sia. Lead single, the intimidatingly titled Santa's Coming For Us, has all the makings of a cheery Christmas jam -- jingle bells and jolly-filled lyrics ("Send your letters up to Santa, baby/ Tell him all your secret wishes, too/ Send your letters up to Santa, baby/ Hoping all your wildest dreams come true"). It's nothing earth-shattering really, but Sia being Sia, she manages to give it that extra edge, making it more palatable.
George FitzGerald/ Burns
UK producer George FitzGerald has returned with Burns, his first new music since the release of his 2015 debut album, Fading Love. The track starts off with isolated looping vocals (or in FitzGerald's own words "a beatless chant out of loads of contrasting vocal samples"), which eventually gain momentum and transform into a melodic groove. As skittering percussion emerges, the producer's laconic voice joins the fold, seamlessly weaving together all the elements at play. Once again, he succeeds in crafting a satisfying sonic compromise between meditative and euphoric.
Rhye/ Taste
The R&B electro-soul duo Rhye treats us to their latest offering, Taste, a follow-up to previous cuts Please and Summer Days. The track, lifted from their forthcoming second album, sees the Los Angeles pair giving their reserved lo-fi R&B sensibility a bright, danceable edge. "Are you dancing with your eyes closed?/ It's OK, it's me, babe," sings vocalist Mike Milosh in his signature androgynous coo accompanied by groovy piano keys and funky guitar. "One more time for my taste/ I'll lick your wounds/ I'll lay you down." Leave it to these guys to make sex sound oh-so-exquisite.
Franz Ferdinand/ Always Ascending
Prior to the release of their fifth studio album Always Ascending, set for February next year, the Scottish dance-rock quintet are teasing us with the disco-leaning title track. "Don't be concerned/ It's just the way that gravity works round here," sings frontman Alex Kapranos during the intro. "All slowly rising/ Falling patiently/ Feel no, feel no fear." As the song develops, we're getting more and more of the latter-day Arcade Fire vibe -- which, depending on your view, could either be a blessing or a curse.
