Frida Hyvonen Issue #38

Silence is Wild (Secretly Canadian)

By Katy Henriksen
Published: December 1st, 2008 | 12:00am

Swedish singer-songwriter and pianist Frida Hyvönen’s sophomore release, Silence Is Wild, brims with over-the-top layers of keyboards, heavily bowed strings, sudden key changes, and blunt personal narratives. The juxtaposition of styles and sounds includes ‘50s doo-wop, tambourine pop, Broadway show tunes, and above all — torchy, lounge-infused rock with echo-chamber synths. In short, Wild is wild.

The same reference points appeared in her 2005 debut, Until Death Comes, but here Hyvönen exaggerates them to full effect for a blazing tour de force that will either have you swept along in her exuberant melancholy, or pressing stop immediately. Certain listeners won’t be able to take the jarring bridges that come, at times, with absolutely no transition; or her lyrics, so unsentimental and straight forward, as in “December,” a narrative account of getting an abortion, in which she sings “First they will sting us with a needle / Then we’ll fall asleep / Then one by one they’ll / Take us to the next room / Rid of us of our trouble” quietly alongside her upright piano.

Standouts include fiery break-up song “Science,” which builds to a theramin-driven climax, Hyvönen belting out, “Bye bye, scientific you.” Another is the uncharacteristically upbeat, staccato “Birds.” Then there’s the goth-smeared, minor-keyed synth number, “Pony,” that opens with the line, “The stable is where you learn to / Be in charge and not take shit / Dressed to the occasion / Leather boots and a stiff black whip.”

In lesser hands, such disparate elements could turn into overwrought mush. Yet Hyvönen stays in command, and those who stay for this Wild ride will be rewarded.

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