The Knife To Release Album Of Charles Darwin Opera
By Seraphina L.
Electro-pop Swedish duo, The Knife, has been critically praised for many if not all of their works and they’ve done it behind bird masks for the majority of it! Band member, Karin Dreijer Andersson, put out a fantastic debut album under the moniker Fever Ray this past year which also did not disappoint. With that said, The Knife is a band who creates some of the most unusual yet electrifying masterpieces of this generation and artists like them usually aren’t afraid of pushing boundaries.
So it isn’t surprising to hear that their first attempt at writing an opera was a huge success. Based on Charles Darwin’s book, On The Origins of Species, the pair created a mind-blowing stage performance titled Tomorrow, in a Year and now it will be available as an album!
You can watch the seven-minute trailer for the opera below to give you an idea of how surreal and intense the masterpiece is. If you’ve forgotten, make note to remember that Berlin dance-rock DJ, Mt. Sims, and chamber experimentalist Planningtorock also helped them flesh the music out.
Although the duo seem to naturally concoct hypnotic beats and melodies, they had to work a little to be able to produce an opera sound (and show). Band member, Olaf Dreijer explains in a press release via Pitchfork:
“At first it was very difficult as we really didn’t know anything about opera. We’d never been to one. I didn’t even know what the word libretto meant. But after some studying, and just getting used to opera’s essence of pretentious and dramatic gestures, I found that there is a lot to learn and play with. In fact, our ignorance gave us a positive respectless approach to making opera. It took me about a year to become emotionally moved by an opera singer and now I really do. I really like the basic theatrical values of opera and the easy way it brings forward a narrative. We’ve approached this before in the Knife but never in such a clear way.”
Consequence of Sound also points to the unique summary of the opera:
“Richard Dawkins’s gene trees have formed the basis of some of the musical composition, artificial sounds have been mixed with field recordings, with the music inspired by everything from the different stages of a bird learning its melody, to a song based on Darwin’s loving letters about his daughter Anne. These are compositions that challenge the conventional conception of opera music.”
According to Pitchfork, the album is slated for a digital release on Februrary 2 via Mute Records and a physical release on March 9 in the US (March 1 internationally). The tremendous 11-minute song, “Colouring of Pigeons” is currently streaming on The Knife’s website. It is also available for download on the website in exchange for your e-mail.
The stage version of Tomorrow, in a Year is still going strong with performances on the following dates which you can check out here.
Take a look at the track listing for the 2-disc album. Then watch the trailer for the show if you haven’t already seen it!
Tomorrow, In a Year:
CD 1:
1. Intro
2. Epochs
3. Geology
4. Upheaved
5. Minerals
6. Ebb Tide Explorer
7. Variation of Birds
8. Letter to Henslow
9. Schoal Swarm Orchestra
CD 2:
1. Annie’s Box
2. Tumult
3. Colouring of Pigeons
4. Seeds
5. Tomorrow in a Year
6. The Height of Summer
7. Annie’s Box (alternate vocal) (bonus track)
Will you be purchasing your own copy of Tomorrow, in a Year?
