albums of the decade 30. - Fever Ray - Fever Ray

30. Fever Ray - Fever Ray (2009)

Swedish duo The Knife created one of the most unique and eerie sounds of the decade. Pitchfork temporarily labelled it "haunted house" but that tag didn't stick. It's a shame it didn't really as with a bit of fine-tuning, Fever Ray, aka. Karin Dreijer Andersson of said band made something consistent and even more concentrated in its hauntedness. There are shades of Bjork in 'When I Grow Up', early Madonna in 'Seven' and Brian Eno in 'Keep The Streets Empty For Me, but it's Andersson's own identity that's most paramount in this highly filmic classic that's scary but definitely not a horrorshow!

Exc. 'Seven'

"Accompany me by the kitchen sink

We talk about love, we talk about dishwasher tablets, illness
And we dream about heaven

I know it, I think I know it from a hymn
They've said so, it doesn't need more explanation
A box to open up with light and sound
Making you cold
Very cold"