#28 - Phil

The Knife

Silent Shout

2006

It’s only fitting that the first shared album on the Rolling Fork countdown appears on back-to-back days. The irony of it all is that I know I would have never listened to this album if it were not for Steve. One of my favorite times of the year is when magazines release their Albums of the Year lists, and Steve knows how much I value my favorite mainstream publications’ choices. To give me a little broader scope, he burned me a copy of The Knife’s Silent Shout – and made sure to tell me that it was named Album of the Year by Pitchfork so that I would listen to it!

Ryan did a fantastic job yesterday of describing this band’s expansively-creative electronic sound, so I will simply follow by describing how this album affects me personally (really I don’t mind). When I start the record and begin listening to the opening title track, I feel a rush of adrenaline that cannot be surpassed by even the heaviest rock or most hardcore rap I own. “Silent Shout” is one of those songs that hits every note perfectly and makes every right decision. I don’t even hesitate when I say that it is the greatest electronic song I have ever heard. What follows is an incredibly smart and well-arranged album that knows exactly what it wants to do and how it wants to pace itself. The Knife never settles and their emotional roller coaster doesn’t allow me to ever leave my altered state. Let me pay what Steve did for me forward and tell you to trust us in giving this miracle of a record a chance. -P.W.

Yes! Glad to see Silent Shout getting some love. This was easily my favorite record of 2006. It took me a little time to like it, mostly because of the bizarre distorted vocals from Karin. But Silent Shout quickly won me over. I don’t want to be too redundant, so I’ll keep this short and just defer to my review of the album. - Ryan

I never thought that this record would find much of an audience outside of weirdo-pop folks or the electro-pop niche. In practice though, this record spread like wildfire in 2006. It's an excellent album of pitch-shifted female vocals overtop cavernous synth beats and elegiac melody lines. The album has a sparseness and a quiet chill throughout, which helped create the unique atmosphere that the Knife handles so adeptly here. - Steve