Album: Shaking the Habitual
Artist: The Knife
(Rabid)
Two stars out of five
Cuts by The Knife don’t feel so right on the daring Swedish duo’s first album in seven years. Karin Dreijer Andersson and her brother, Olof Dreijer, really do shake the habitual — ditching the structured tribal-pop tunes of 2006’s Silent Shout for short bursts of Atwood-inspired noise (Crake, Oryx) and meandering dirges of electro-gobbledygook, clocking in at eight, nine and even 19 minutes. Old Dreams Waiting To Be Realized is the longest culprit, a slow, hazy cloud of pulses, insect skitters and keyboard chaos, which feels church-y, primal and extra-terrestrial all at once — but about as boring as a sermon delivered by a monotone preacher. Without You My Life Would Be Boring, on the other hand, is only one of a handful of captivating numbers — sheathed in African rhythms, giddy woodwinds, and Karin’s garbled vocals. Ditto goes for A Tooth For An Eye. Speaking of which, Shaking the Habitual would make a great soundtrack to a film about creepy Swedish killers — or gnomes — with its layers of sinister scrapes, honks and thrusts made by often indistinguishable instruments. As an album, though, you won’t make a habit out of listening to this 98-minute exercise in deliberate difficulty.
– Sandra Sperounes, Edmonton Journal
