by Talbs, WTSC General Manager

If you were to walk up to a bar and simply ask for something "exotic yet frozen" the bartender would whip up something brilliantly tasty without thinking twice about it. A few minutes and dollars later, you would possibly be handed a Hurricane (New Orleans rum-based drink). But when I read an album review which used the phrase "exotic yet frozen", I had to think to myself for a couple minutes before continuing. What would happen if you mixed the electronic music of Nordic lands with elements of Carribean rhythm and sound?

Apparently this is exactly what happened when a little-known album flew completely under our radar last spring at WTSC. Fever Ray's self-titled and first album is the solo work of Karin Dreijer Andersson of Sweden. Originally she was working with her brother in the band, The Knife, the electronic duo which kept clear of America.

To give you an idea, in 2007 they won seven Swedish Grammys, and have you or I heard of them before? Nope. Despite this, Dreijer shook off her cloak and did quite a bit of work to promote this album. As a result, it came to our mailbox at WTSC.

The music is creepy, to say the least. The mysterious ambient tones underneath crisp tropical percussion instruments and clapping are fascinating. In addition, the tracks are filled with dark vocals (in English, mostly) which fluctuate between Dreijer's unaltered voice and that of a processed one - most likely her own put through a little synth, vibrato, and dropped down a full octave.

What you are left with is a fluid album you probably think you are going to put on to study to, but you are left trying to grasp its complexity. In one interview, Dreijer revealed that the album's inspiration came from sleep deprivation. This matches some songs like "Dry and Dusty" which sounds cloudy and exhausted. One of our Clarkson night owls would love to fall asleep to this album at 8 a.m. after a long night of gaming or studying.

Some of the best tracks are "Seven," "Triangle Walks," and "When I Grow Up." These feature some of the better percussive and drum loops on the album, while still retaining a very captivating sound without putting you into too much of a trance. Her vocals are also clear English and very complimentary to the instrumental sounds.

These songs have already been very popular choices for third-party remixes found on sites such as RCRDLBL.com. Overall, I suggest this album to anyone who has enough sense to put the creepiness aside. Check out free tracks at RCRDLBL and Last.FM, and request songs at WTSC 91.1 FM, The Source.