Album Review

Fever Ray – Fever Ray

• 8th Apr 2009

Works of artistic beauty are few and far between and usually hidden in genres that are not as accessible to the public as we may like them to be. Along comes complete gem “Fever Ray.”

A project heavy on mood, sound and vocal chants that bring a luminous quality to a relaxed mind. Apparently it’s taken a couple of years to come to fruition for Swedish artist Karin Dreijer Andersson. It does feel like the music has been deliberately boosted to overshadow Andersson’s vocals. The effect is of a distant wail, which works for effect. But perhaps a little too much to be used on the majority of the songs. But then she also likes to tinker with pitch levels, slowly and the speed of recordings giving a disconcerting feel to the music.

She is also sometimes very good at making the music swell and it becomes evident that this work has been a labour of love and not merely thrashed out over a short period of time. It has matured.

As a piece of artistry it comes not full of pretension, but a heavy mood that lasts from start to finish. It’s just a matter of who it will appeal to. Eclectic crowds will love it.