Goosebumps never lie.
That saying has been the Swedish House Mafia's mantra over the past four years and helps explain why the trio is breaking up: the pressure had grown to the point that the goosebumps at their shows were gone, and they no longer enjoyed producing music. But before Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso disband, the group has released one last goosebump-inducing album: Until Now: The Soundtrack to One Last Tour.
You'd be forgiven if you mistook Until Now for the track listing at an electronic music awards ceremony. The 10-song album (23 songs if you buy the deluxe version) features some of the groups' greatest work, both individually and as a trio. Until Now features collaborations with some of the biggest names in electronic dance music. The album is a startling reminder of how much the genre has grown over the past four years and how much the community will miss the Swedes.
The album leads off with one of its loudest songs, a wordless dance track titled "Greyhound." The song was originally released in March as part of a promo for a new drink from Absolut Vodka and has been a mainstay on dancefloors across the world ever since. "Greyhound" is aptly titled, as its slow buildup and massive drop make you literally want to start racing. What sets it apart is the bridge, which uses an emotionally-charged keyboard melody to perfectly transition between the song's massive drops.
My favorite song on the album undoubtedly is "Don't You Worry Child," the Swedish House Mafia's final single, which was released back in September. It is hard to put into words how beautiful the song is. It features vocals from Australian pop artist John Martin, who also sings "Save The World," another of my favorites on the album. "Don't You Worry Child" is a startling contrast, with verses that could be the slow song at a high school dance and a chorus fit for any of Europe's finest clubs. As a final single, the song is everything that a fan could ask for: a hauntingly beautiful piece that truly sums up the group's career. All I can say is after learning that their inspiration for the track was how beautiful the Swedes found Australia to be, I knew that I had found my next vacation destination.
Two vocal tracks that stand out come from Coldplay's Chris Martin and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder. Coldplay famously asked the Swedish House Mafia to remix "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall" last year, and the result is truly the best of both worlds. The Swedes have beautifully rearranged the chords from the melodic single into an electronic song, doing so in a way that still perfectly complements Martin's voice. Tedder performs over "Lose My Mind," a masterful track from Ingrosso and Alesso, another Swedish DJ. The song is perhaps the most famous on the album, as it reached as high as 19th on the UK charts.
Every song on the album is truly worth a listen. Axwell's "In My Mind" is stunning in a different way, somehow working as both a beautiful trance song and as (yet an-other) massive club hit.
My one complaint would be that the album rarely strays from the Swedes' original formula. While "Save the World," "Don't You Worry Child," "Lose My Mind," and many others on the album bring different qualities to the table, they all follow the same script: Slow-building verses with powerful vocals that transitions to full-blown house music at the chorus. The only true change of pace is "Antidote," a collaboration with an Australian dubstep duo. "Antidote" is an angry track that brings a ton of energy and features an edgy vocal track.
Though it costs five dollars more, it's worth paying up for the deluxe version of the album. The deluxe version plays like a concert, with seamless transitions worked in between every tune. More importantly, it has more than twice as many songs as the original album. Personal favorites include "Euphoria," SHM's surprising take on a single from Usher, as well as "Reload" by Ingrosso and Tommy Trash. Though repetitive and without lyrics, "Reload" is a powerful track with a fantastic buildup. The drop is masterfully layered, combining a catchy synthesizer melody with a complicated drum beat and a massive bass kick.
The album will be followed by a final tour from the trio, which includes four dates in New York City in early March. It will be a can't-miss show, one final chance for goosebumps.
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