The Knife

Shaking the Habitual

Mute

Street: 04.05

The Knife = Zombelle + How To Destroy Angels 

Shaking the Habitual extends beyond the scope of the record—it’s a manifesto for a 21st Century pop culture ontology. It’s been seven years since Silent Shout, and Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer seem eager to respond to their freeky disciples, (Die Antwoord’s Ninja comes to mind), with an album that’s intensely The Knife—challenging, dark, queer Swedish electronica. Light Asylum’s electro-Goth Shannon Funchess sings on the track “Stay Out Here.” The record is twice as long as Silent Shout, and much more of an experience—it’s a double LP, split by a 19-minute noise interlude, accompanied with two fold-out cartoons about the need to “make extreme wealth history.” The duo are brilliantly articulate about their gender queer agenda and I’ll encourage you to find their cryptically beautiful writings at your nearest internet convenience—the album’s press release is particularly marvelous. If you dance with The Knife, please do listen and learn. –Christian Schultz