Dark sirens.

     I'd like to talk about a couple of unnoticed musicians whose careers have spanned multiple projects. These are taken from a column I wrote for the Vincennes University Trailblazer.

     The first I'd like to mention is Andrea Haugen, also known as Nebelhexe. She’s brilliant, sensual, dark, and an artist in every sense of the term. Lyrically, her subject matter revolves around pagan beliefs; musically, her singing style has been described as “Enya gone goth.”
     Her band Aghast only spawned one album, ‘Hexerei im Zweilicht der Finsternis.’ It’s a great album to listen to straight through, especially on a dark and rainy, candlelit night. The first song that caught my attention was “Call to the Grave.” At this point is when the Enya comparison kicks in.
     I first discovered Andrea Haugen when I heard the music of her project Hagalaz’ Runedance. Much of the music has a very Celtic feel, although the lyrics are often about Germanic mythology. People who enjoy Dead Can Dance or Love Is Colder Than Death would enjoy this part of Haugen’s career. My favorite songs at this point are “When The Trees Were Silenced,” “Seeker Divine,” and “Frigga’s Web.”
     Under the pseudonym Nebelhexe, Haugen incorporated more characteristics of rock into her music. The title track from ‘Laguz – Within the Lake’ is just damn good. “Invisible Entity” is good to listen to while walking around on an overcast day, with the wind blowing. And “Dead Waters” is beautiful.

     The next talent I'd like to mention is Karin Dreijer Andersson. Throughout the three projects to which she has lent her talents, Karin Dreijer Andersson’s voice has stayed the same distinct style. Especially in her latest endeavors, I describe her vocal and music styles as a shadowy version of Bjork’s.
     She started out in the alternative rock group Honey Is Cool, which ran from the mid-90s to 2000. Their music was typical of that era. It was about the same time Autotune was beginning to take over everything in America, but Honey Is Cool was still good. Among their best, “Early Morning Are You Waking?” “The Lion,” and “Nach Heart.”
     At the end of her Honey Is Cool career, she began a project with her brother, Olaf Dreijer, called The Knife. A vast departure from Honey Is Cool, The Knife is heavily electronic. Hits include “Heartbeats,” “We Share Our Mother’s Health,” and “Neverland.”
     Fever Ray, is what caught a lot of people onto Dreijer Anderson. The droning, seductive sound of “If I Had A Heart,” is fantastic. I’d love to take a big bass speaker and lay on it with my eyes closed with it playing, as the bass sounds feel like a hearbeat. It seems to be everyone’s favorite. However, that is not to discredit “When I Grow Up.”