Miike Snow

Miike Snow (Downtown)

By Britt Julious
Published: June 19th, 2009 | 7:00am

The members of Miike Snow have the sort of musical background which makes a career in the spotlight seem inevitable. The trio — comprised of the genius Swedish producers, Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg (aka Bloodshy & Avant), and American musician Andrew Wyatt — have a storied past in the industry. Wyatt played in bands such as Black Beetle and the A.M. while Karlsson and Winnberg used their strong songwriting skills and ear for slick hooks to provide material for Madonna, Kylie Minogue, and Britney Spears (whose uber-single, “Toxic,” won the duo a Grammy for “Best Dance Recording” in 2005).

However, on the trio’s self-titled debut, the members of Miike Snow are finally able to shine on their own, and their talents lead to an album rife with house-oriented beats, witty lyrics, and strong pop hooks. The album's jubilant opener and single, “Animal,” is a combination of synths, piano, and a simple drum machine beat to push the song along. Much stronger work is littered throughout the album. “Burial,” another early single, has been remixed endlessly, but the original is softer than most of the other tracks on the album. The sound is similar to a song from the '90s: driving piano chords and melancholic lyrics signaling an angry and bitter finality to the end of a relationship as Wyatt sings, "I've become a serial killer of both of us."

The album’s strongest tracks are the ones that abandon the typical pop structure and embrace house aesthetics. “Silvia” begins with a simple piano chord and quickly becomes a slick house track. The song uses distorted vocals and layered house synths to push the album further from the previous two songs which, despite being nice, were ultimately less forceful. And on “In Search Of,” the strongest house track (and song in general), driving piano chords transition the intro into a euphoric drumbeat and full, lush synths. The group sings, "We won't back down from anything in search of a remedy," and the lyrics couple well with the instrumentation of the song, which sounds like it is heading toward the triumphant climax of a pure house gem.

Although the album is consumed with strong pop songs, it is less successful as a whole, and Miike Snow's best work is evident when the band sticks to the sleek house tracks that have produced success in the past.

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