The Knife
Tomorrow, In A Year

I firmly believe in the value of completeness: there is nothing more elegant than something that shines orderly and encyclopedic. In short, I do not think like that rascal Slater who in "Heathers" claims that "Chaos is everything" and that it would have extinguished the dinosaurs but, on the contrary, that it was an Order that we have not yet grasped: the dear Darwinist Dawkins in "The God Delusion" has reassured me, however, that, although we are miserable carbon beings, inhabiting the third rock from a fairly common star that "orbits" (horrible and inaccurate term, I know... but just to make it clear) in the peripheral arm of a galaxy, similar to billions of others in our Uni or Multiverse, surprisingly, we have succeeded in coming closer to understanding it: this, if you allow me, makes me "walk" lighter among my fellows.

All this preamble contradicts the spirit of the review that for once (even if it's not the first... I love contradicting myself) will be incomplete and chaotic: in fact, in a "random" and indirect way I introduced one of the protagonists of the album in question and that is Charles Darwin still so underrated and mistreated (and this makes me return the distrust in "walking" among my fellows). Strange to say, but The Knife (for those who do not know them, they are a parental duo "electro-everything"a bit" Swedish that has delighted our ears for about a decade: sometimes in a Pop, sometimes in a "disturbing" way) have, in fact, made this concept dedicated to the father of the Theory of Evolution. Here I must admit that the encyclopedic temptation is very strong but since I don't want to bore you too much if you want to know the genesis (no Biblical reference is intended... to be clear!) of the project, I refer you to this Ondarock page (I know that in this Site it is not well regarded but make a "resolution", go there: for once it is well done). The only thing I say here is that the two Scandinavians have embarked on a long journey (in every possible sense) of 18 months to collect all the possible material on the protagonist.

While they documented the subject, on the "way" of making the album (and soon, in a disordered way, we will see it) instead, by their own admission, they remained "ignorant" (in the sense of "those who ignore"): believe it or not "Tomorrow, In a Year" is an album (with all the "ifs" and "buts" we will see) of Lyric music.

Two distinct parts: one purely avant-garde, the other more tending (but not too much) to rhythmic and melodic concessions that the duo had accustomed us to this point, but both crossed by the fil rouge of lyric singing, although there are vocal parts of a much more "light" genre. All this in a "room" (I want to give a somewhat claustrophobic idea) electronically wide in styles (from Techno to Ambient), in rhythms (sometimes syncopated, others, even, of almost ethnic origin) and in the emotional context (the concept with its events). The choice not to deepen their knowledge of Lyric music was probably suggested to the duo by the idea of being able to mix the two (parallel?) universes without too much reverential fear. An album that certainly cannot be reproached for lack of courage or "intelligence" (whatever meaning you give to the term) but it also has everything to be difficult if not repellent.

Without dwelling too much on other pleasantries (it is proven that beyond the fifteenth line a review bores... to use a euphemism) it can be said that this album could be both a masterpiece and an incredible mess: for the writer, it is certainly one of the three most beautiful albums of the year but maybe it's just my cosmic balance degenerating into a formless Chaos (or an Order that, as a good carbon being, I still cannot understand).

Mo.