THE KNIFE and Junip, News from Mute

A couple things from the fine folks at Mute.  I think you're going to like this.

First off... Jose Gonzalez.  Everybody likes Jose Gonzalez.  Some have described him as a "buttercup of joy."  Others (myself, if you must know) have declared that "he could crap in my hat and still get a good review".  This is strong praise from cynical, jaded me.  His most recent project is a little group called Junip, and their debut album Fields was a sublime masterpiece.  I've always felt that Gonzalez's work with Zero 7 was some of their (and his) finest work.  Junip seems to be, if not a direct extension of that, then certainly a spiritual successor.  Big deal, right?  Well, Junip has announced a new album coming soon, and have released their first single, "Line of Fire".  Listen to it here.

What else can I tempt you with?

How about a new The Knife album.

Yeah, you heard me.  It's been a long time coming, but the Gothenburg duo have finally announced their new release, Shaking The Habitual.  Sure, they've been busy in the meantime, but I think the world was ready.  To celebrate this, they've released their first single "Full of Fire" along with a short film (what we in the biz used to call a 'music video') by filmmaker Marit Ostberg.  Ostberg had this to say:

“The film ‘Full Of Fire’ started to grow as an embryo in the song´s lines ‘Who looks after my story’. Who takes care of our stories when the big history, written by straight rich white men, erase the complexity of human´s lives, desires and conditions? The film ‘Full Of Fire’ consists of a network of fates, fears, cravings, longings, losses, and promises. Fates that at first sight seem isolated from each other, but if we pay attention, we can see that everything essentially moves into each other. Our lives are intertwined and our eyes on each other, our sounds and smells, mean something. Our actions create reality, we create each other. We are never faceless, not even in the most grey anonymous streets of the city. We will never stop being responsible, being extensions, of one another. We will never stop longing for each other, and for something else.”

Well, yeah!  The ol' net of dharma is pretty hardcore.  Shaking The Habitual comes out April 9th, but you can preorder now from itunes or the Rabid Records store.  That's a ways off, but I'll remind you.  Anyway, enough of my rambling.  Check out the new video, which if I say so has a very Swedish style, and would I be remiss in my criticism if I didn't notice a hint of homage to Kenneth Anger's Scorpio Rising?  See for yourself:


Full Of Fire from The Knife on Vimeo.

EDITOR'S NOTE:  I'm an idiot.  For some reason I kept referring to Jose Gonzalez as Jose Rodriguez.  This is what I get for having too many tabs open.  Thanks WG!