Fever Ray. Photo: Johan Renck
Fever Ray is Karin Dreijer Andersson. She is also one-half of Swedish electronic group The Knife, a group that captured my attention (and affection) after releasing their song “Heartbeats” in 2003 .
The fascinating thing about Fever Ray is her ability to make such evocative music from such a limited palette. On their own, the sounds she uses are cold, stark and untreated – the electronics are laid bare, rather than hidden behind a wall of processing. It’s a much different approach than, say, Boards of Canada (see last post), who use warm samples and subtle layers to create a living, breathing organism. Somehow, she makes it all work, and it’s a nice reminder that, ultimately, it’s all about the songs.
Fever Ray – I’m Not Done