Silent Shout

The Knife | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 25, 2006)
• Original Release Date: 2006
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Mute U.S.
• ASIN: B000FWHVKA
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,883 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #85 in Music > Dance & DJ > IDM

Editorial Reviews

The Knife are the sibling duo that penned the song 'Heartbeats' that their good friend Jose Gonzalez has had a massive success with in recent times. This is their third album, darker than the previous Deep Cuts record still holding their unique sound and infectious grooves. Brille. 2006. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Elegant Electronica, December 29, 2006

By 

Mark Eremite "This Is A Display Model Only" (Seoul, South Korea) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Silent Shout (Audio CD)

The Knife slips its blade in slowly in this, their third and eeriest ablum to date. Their sound has never been so insidious and effective.

Most of the songs loom large and unapologetic on a static-heavy foundation of pure electronica. The Knife experiments with some serious, in-your-face sound changes, most of them involving bizarre vocal arrangements (that sound melted, tweaked, and tweezered) and massive chunks of computerized noise.

When they're not infiltrating the nerves with schizophrenic, hyper-active machinery ("We Share Our Mother's Health" and "Like A Pen"), they're lulling listeners into dim groves of lyrical whispers ("Forest Families" and "One Hit"). This is the kind of album that's so avant-garde, so experimental, so hard to define and yet so insistently familiar that the urge to compare it to other records of its kind is almost unresistible.

But, in all honesty, there really is no other record to compare it to. The techno-militant urgency of "Neverland," the winding orchestral phantasms of "Marble House," the star-lit brilliance of the title track -- they may play like the distant cousins of Bjork, Massive Attack, Aphex Twin, or the Sneaker Pimps, but they are still indelibly unique. Fans of electronic music will be more than pleased, and everyone else may just find a few reasons to give the genre a more serious look.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "I caught a glimpse, now it haunts me", July 13, 2006

By 

R O C K E T (The Twin Cities, MN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Silent Shout (Audio CD)

Were you ever curious what it would sound like if David Lynch decided to make an electropop album? Well, Silent Shout may be your answer. This is probably the oddest album since Bjork's "Medulla" (yet this is much more successful in my opinion). Even darker and weirder than their last album, "Silent Shout" is also a huge leap forward. "Deep Cuts" had all the ingredients to be an album I should love, but for some reason it never completely drew me in. I definitely LIKED it, but there were a few too many ideas and it just didn't seem to reach its full potential. "Silent Shout," on the other hand, drew me in instantly. It is very cohesive, it builds on all the band's strengths, and it sets them apart from pretty much any other band in existence. It's dark and creepy and otherwordly, yet at the same time there's a surreal warmth and beauty that radiates from the music. It's a mood unlike any other I've experienced before from any other artist. That's why this album draws you in and warrants repeated listenings. Music that is immediately catchy and accessible can be quite nice (like an old acquaintance), but it's these bands that reinvent music and bring something fresh to the table (like a new lover) that keep you coming back for more, and should really be recognized as something special.

Take Bjork's vocals, distort them many different ways, layer them on top of each other until you have what sounds like a choir of aliens or strange forest creatures, then add them to brooding pads, arpeggiated synths, and electronic drum beats, and you have an idea of what this album sounds like (the result is so much better than it may look in writing, though). The music isn't just a novelty either. It really is good from beginning to end. Some of my favorite tracks so far are "The Captain," "We Share Our Mothers' Health," "Like a Pen," and "Forest Families." My least favorite is "Neverland." It's ok, but I find it a little more jarring than the rest of the album. Just a slight misstep in an otherwise perfect work of art.

Check out the videos from the album, too. They really complement the mood - especially the video for the title track, which has a very creepy David Lynch feel. I watched it before my first listen of the album and it really helped set the tone.

I highly recommend this album to fans of electro, darker-toned pop, or any brave music fan. It may seem overwhelmingly odd at first, but if you give it a chance, you may be greatly rewarded. Brilliant.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very pleasing to ones ears, April 20, 2006

By 

Mr. Kevin O' Brien "Kevbomb" (Limerick , Ireland) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Silent Shout (Audio CD)

I first heard this album on vinyl the other week when I was looking for some new mixing material. I didn't buy it then, because I new this was one of those electro albums I would love listening to and not mixing. Not to say there aren't good tracks for mixing. More then half the album would be great for mixing. This album just has something else that most dancefloor friendly electro albums don't.
There are great melodies and atmospheres created throughout the album. Then theres the vocals. I must say the female vocalist of "The Knife" has one of the most interesting and seductive voices I've heard in any genre of music. Her voice demands your attention. Electro songs without vocals lack a certain connection with the listener. And a lot of vocals in elecro songs
are just monotone and sleazy. Some are good. But some can just sound lame and annoying. Her voice is the best I've heard in dance music. I'm not going to go into what each song sounds like and what they're about, cause I don't think my writing could do them justice. If you want to hear the album go there website, "the Knife". You can hear influences of Kraftwerk
and others in there music, but there sound is quite unique and really draws you in. No complaints. I love it.