The Knife’s first album since 2006’s acclaimed Silent Shout is a decidedly experimental affair. A two-disc offering (one in collaboration with German techno guru Mt. Sims, the other with musician and video artist Planningtorock), the record doubles as the Swedish duo’s soundtrack to Tomorrow, In A Year, the opera based on Charles Darwin’s The Origin Of The Species. It’s fair to say that those looking for electro-pop gems along the lines of the classic ‘Heartbeats’ will be disappointed.
The first disc sounds like Coil collaborating with Third Eye Foundation: a collection of ominous low-key grooves augmented by eerie opera voices, electro effects and various wildlife samples. It is quite the sonic trip, even if a little too one-paced and slightly disorientating outside of the operatic context. Disc two is a more rhythmic affair, with plenty of uptempo percussion and even the odd electro riff surfacing. Unfortunately, it’s a bit too long (one tune clocks in at nearly quarter-of-an-hour) and, thanks to its unapologetically avant-garde stylings, pretty heavy going in places.
Overall, Tomorrow, In A Year is definitely an album that’s more about mood and atmosphere than it is about melody and songcraft. Dark and challenging, it’s a curio in The Knife canon, albeit one that merits investigation by those with an interest in the more experimental end of the musical spectrum.