Tomorrow, In A Year

The Knife | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 9, 2010)
• Original Release Date: 2010
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Mute
• ASIN: B0035YPYR2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #53,561 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

2010 two CD release, a collaboration between Swedish duo The Knife, the Berlin-based DJ Mt. Sims and Berlin's Planningtorock. Tomorrow In A Year is an Opera based on the life of Charles Darwin and was commissioned by Danish performance group Hotel Pro Forma. The music is based on Charles Darwin's book On The Origin Of The Species, his notebooks and other randomly selected Darwin related literature and articles. This is a studio version of the piece with slight differences and variations from the performed opera. Originally The Knife were commissioned to make the music but they thought this vast subject couldn't be interpreted by only two brains, so they invited Mt. Sims and Planningtorock to try a more collaborative process for the first time, not only to have a more fun and interesting process but also to capture the huge width of the theme of Darwin and evolution. Brille.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous February 26, 2010

By s.t.

Format:MP3 Music

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.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A work to judge on its own merit alone August 12, 2010

By Mario Rups

Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificently Weird January 17, 2011

By E. J. W.

Format:MP3 Music|Amazon Verified Purchase

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.