Silence Is Wild

Upon first listen Silence Is Wild, the second full-length record by Swedish singer Frida Hyvönen, is a difficult album to either categorise or indeed enjoy. The songs are purposefully jilted with an obvious clash of dark lyrics and feather lightweight-melodies that conspire to disarm the listener. Described on her website as “an utterly modern approach to classic song writing forms”, the album crosses genres at will, from the Swedish pop of 'Scandinavian Blonde' to the playful indie beat of the synthesizer in ‘Birds’, and in doing so appears to alienate its audience.

However, amidst the mayhem is a beautiful poetry of confession, led by a soaring voice, simple arrangements and an aching depth of emotion and thought. The more the album is listened to, the harder it is to avoid being swept away with songs like the runaway ‘London!’ – "London!/The way you hate me is better than loving/ I'm head over heels/The way you want to get rid of me/Makes me weak at the knees" and the opening track ‘Dirty Dancing’ - a simple story of a chance meeting with an old first love , proving more enjoyable each listen.

The intimacy of her lyrics makes Hyvönen’s songs all the more believable, especially on the candid, matter-of-fact tale of a couple's abortion on the piano-driven ‘December’, during which the focus is on the banality of the 'everyday' event. ‘My cousin’ is another apparently autobiographical song that addresses the fears and idiosyncrasies of her relationship – "I'm not the marrying kind and neither are you" or "Will you be the dad of the children I'll most likely never have?". It's her ability and bravery to broach these types of topics that allow her to stand out. This is an album of complex beauty, ambitious scope and one that rewards undivided attention with the intimacy of an abstract poem shared by two broken-hearted lovers.