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Aug 15, 2019 Fever Ray By Matt Conner

It takes a literal minute for the evolution to begin.

From the moment the metronomic “An Itch” opens the set of Fever Ray’s latest release, Live at Troxy, the crowd responds in recognition to a favorite from Karin Dreijer’s most recent studio album, Plunge. New aural dimensions take shape, with fans at the East London venue yelling and clapping as Dreijer sings, “And everyone started to come after me/And everyone started to touch me.” The referenced “everyone,” it seems, are now present with them.

“An Itch” is only the initial example. The unseen theatrics, the crowd responses, the reimagined instrumentation on Live at Troxy all work together to fully realize songs from 2017’s Plunge as well as Fever Ray’s self-titled album (2009). Recent bangers like “Wanna Sip” and “Mustn’t Hurry” sound as remarkably layered in this live setting as their studio counterparts. “If I Had a Heart” rises to meet the crowd’s adulation near the end of the set as an early favorite. “Falling” feels just as tenebrous as one could hope, while “This Country” is a pulsing anthem of personal freedom, with Dreijer repeating, “This country makes it hard to fuck.”

The downside to Live at Troxy is the obviously lacking visual dimensions these same songs enjoyed for the crowd present. A video companion would have made for an ideal package. At the same time, Fever Ray’s live offering serves as a better intro for their music than either studio release. These fleshed out recordings still pull off every sonic trick from the studio only with greater weight and charisma. (www.feverray.com)

Author rating: 7.5/10