Customer Reviews

Tomorrow, In A Year

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I know, I know. An electro-opera based on the life and work of Charles Darwin sounds like an awfully pretentious endeavor. And it is. But this isn't a bad thing, since the pretensions of the artists are actually fulfilled. Here is an example of an idea that could very easily yield a throwaway gimmick from too-clever musicians, yet has inspired something haunting and beautiful, something that feels both profound and personal.

Fans of the Knife as a synth pop group will likely be disappointed, as only two tracks have anything resembling a beat, and none of it was made for the dance floor. But those who also look to the Knife for their moods and textures will have much to savor here. This isn't an album of warped pitch-shifted vocals, but it does have the same fascinating contradictions of Silent Shout: the raw humanity woven from synthetic programming; the warmth emanating from sounds of dark, icy cold.

Interestingly, the electro-opera stylings of some of the pieces, such as "The Colouring of Pigeons," bring to mind the more atmospheric side of Klaus Nomi. But unlike Nomi, this is a work that takes itself very seriously. Too seriously, some will undoubtedly say. Even if this is true, though, it hardly takes away from the power of the songs as they glide and percolate through your body in crystalline perfection.

Because this album lacks the visual component of the opera, I know I'm missing the work's gestalt. While I do look forward to seeing a performance some day, I feel that the songs of "Tomorrow, In a Year" stand alone as a complete work, not to mention a brilliant addition to the Knife's legacy, and possibly my favorite album of 2010.

I had never heard of The Knife before and came to the album with no preconceptions or expectations. NPR featured this opera in its entirety for a brief period just prior to the CD's release, and I had it plunked into my Amazon shopping basket well before the preview was even halfway through. Not a fan of "modern", abstract music, I nonetheless was mesmerized at the sound, and the way that (appropriate to its subject) the music grew, evolved, from simple to complex. I now listen to the opera frequently, finding in it more beauty every time.

This is not an album for categorizing and criticising and dismissing with "This isn't Knife", "This isn't electro-pop", "You can't dance to it" ... This is an album one listens to for itself, and a work that must be judged on its own merit. Read the description and listen to the tracks, read the Wikipedia article, don't buy the CD thinking it is something other than what it is.

As I write this, I'm giving the album yet another listen through. Initially I was like many commenters, all "WTF is this? This doesn't sound like The Knife!?" However, upon further contemplation this album has a lot to offer. Granted, it does not sound "like The Knife" except for parts of a few tracks. Most of what you'll be hearing is minimalist outre electronic composition accompanied with operatic singing and lyrical spoken word. You will also find some atonal juxtaposition and some very extended beat structure that may throw you off on the first listen or two. In a way this sounds to me like a slowed down Autechre album, or Venetian Snares on downers. It is almost grating to the ears at times, but there is something here that is greater than the sum of its parts.

I had this album on my iPod, bits and pieces would pop up on shuffle and I would almost immediately skip them. However, upon the 2nd full listen through, I played it a third time. Whether through familiarity or a slow deconstruction I came to appreciation of this album. It is not for everybody. I would go so far as to say it is not for most people. It is for me, and for anybody who cares to give it a honest listen as a whole piece and not piecemeal.

I have several friends to whom I will be gifting copies. Because of our similar music tastes and patience with art I am certain they will come to similar appreciation.

To those who want something to dance to, this isn't it, you will be disappointed. Fair warning.

The only reason I gave this 2 stars instead of 1 is because of the stellar level of production evident on this album. Other than that though, this album is impossible to listen to as far as I am concerned. Most of the tracks are simply noises (most of them irritating). Silent Shout or Deep Cuts show what The Knife is all about. Get those instead.

This clearly isn't anything like the Knife's previous works. It could have been easily credited to a completely different artist, but that is not important. What's important is that you don't get this album with hopes of finding the pop spirit of Deep Cuts in it. In fact, I think that even if you read a lot about what this album is about and how it was conceived, even if you create expectations based on that information, you would still be surprised. I don't want to sound pretentious, but this really isn't for an average listener. Not even for enthusiastic electronic or opera fans. This is just something else. Perhaps it's better to enjoy it not with musical styles in mind, but with its proposal instead. Heck, I'll even say you can better categorize it not as a music album, but as a study through music. And I do feel they've mostly succeeded in bringing the theme of evolution to music. I, at least, feel tides, waves, multiplying bacteria, changing species, large stretches of time (eras), ramification, derivation, all of this while listening to the songs. I really like it. At first it was more like a pompous trip, but finally I've come to enjoy it more profanely, being able to appreciate songs independently. Now I listen to it all the time, it's still a great, breath-taking experience, like an epic and satisfying journey. When I listen to it I feel as though I can see the big picture of time and the world, in panoramic view. It increased my interest in opera and experimental electronic music a great deal. Just have an open mind to new notions of what's music and what's noise, this album shows that this distinction is not as simple as the two words suggest. No, it will never be broadcast by any radio stations.

Ugh, I listened to "The Height of Summer" on the Fluxblog survey, which is not an opera tune, and in conjunction with how much I liked a previous The Knife album, decided to buy this one. Did not realize nearly every song has an annoying opera vocal in it. I probably won't listen to this album ever. I wish I could get my money back.

what to say? sorely disappointed, one or two tracks were nice but the rest were jaded and too strange and lacked any kind of musical quality/melody.

The Knife is one of my favorite musical groups. I love all of their previous albums. I also like the Fever Ray album.

This album is different. It is unlistenable noise with the exception of two or three tracks. "The Height of Summer" is a good Knife track. "Seeds" and "The Colouring of Pigeons" are almost okay. Everything else is awful. I regret buying the album. I'm also shocked that there are only a few reviews on Amazon, considering what a let down this thing is.

It's not that I'm close minded. I love new territory and experimentation. This is just an enormous failure of an experiment.

Maybe there are some electro-opera buffs out there that will enjoy this. I don't know. But, don't buy this expecting a Knife album.

It's like pure sound exploration, not quite music yet but not just jumbled noise. It's toying with sound, exploring it, developing it. It kind of reminds me of playing on my keyboard when I was a kid. You have to be in a curious mood to listen to it, but if you get it, you'll love it.

This is absolute genius. It isn't just' bodies that evolve. When I listen to this album, I can see the evolution of art.

It's interesting how polarized the reviews are on this album, you either love it or you don't, you either get it or you don't. 'It really draws the line between those who know and feel music, and those who just listen to it. '

I'm a fan of The Knife. In fact, the morning I bought the new CD I had one of their songs stuck in my head. I blame myself for not reading the part that said 'opera' or for listening to the samples, but this really isn't for everyone.

I like Charles Darwin.
I liked reading his book On The Origin of The Species.
I like the Galapagos Islands.

I don't like this. In fact I'm deleting it from my computer and banishing the CD to a box in the basement.