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The Knife

I have a love/hate relationship with The Knife. They perfectly embody everything I respect and despise with Sweden's music scene. There's an obvious effort to sound different even though their music is based in electro-clash pop (anyone who misses Björk's earlier efforts like Debut should definitely check this group out - even the vocals sound very similar!), but it often comes off being way too simplistic and even pretentious at times. And like many other swedish artists, it seems imperative for them to sound commercial enough to become radio and MTV-friendly. Because of this, I get the impression The Knife are not being all they can be; they are holding back. I would even dare to say that most of their output is forgettable because of this, but when they get around to it, the brother/sister duo can really put out a gem; a song so cool and addictive you'll listen to it over and over again. The only trouble is, when you'll get tired of it (and this is inevitable), rarely does the rest of the album match the intensity of that first song. And this is true with every album.

I've known about The Knife ever since they came out with their first album when I was working in a mainstream music store in downtown Stockholm. Back then I didn't really think much of their first album (I still don't in fact). But after hearing Pass This On, taken from their second album Deep Cuts, and seeing the video to that song (it takes place in a small cabin meeting where a transvestite's passionate dance and song - in slow motion - entices the crowd to stand up and join in the fun) that I started paying attention once again. This song is one of those pop gems I was mentioning and it remains the best thing they have done so far in their career (even though the group tried to disassociate themselves with this sound later on). Even Wire magazine has started paying attention to the group since they've started sounding "darker". I myself hold on to the idea that they can one day create a pop masterpiece with each and every song being as good as the single, but until then, I will hold on to these individual classics (they'll make for the perfect "greatest hits" album - something else Sweden seems to be obsessed about! Absolute The Knife - Volume 51 anyone?).

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