Music Monday #41: Until Now by Swedish House Mafia

Taking a step back for a moment I'd like to dip your toes once more into Electronic Dance Music [EDM] with 'Until Now' by Swedish House Mafia which was released in 2012.  I love this album and I love Swedish House Mafia. 

Swedish House Mafia was formed by Sebastian Ingrosso, Axwell, and Steve Angello and produces a genre of music called Progressive House music which in itself is a sub genre of House which is part of EDM as a whole.  For a time Eric Prydz was set to join the trio to form a quarter but ultimately did not.  These three producers are legends in their own right and have discographies that span decades and too many artists to name.  When they came together it was clear we could expect great things and they did not disappoint.  'Until Now' is my favourite album of the two that they produced, I never formed such a strong emotional connection to the first album. 

'Until Now' includes many tracks I want to mention but the first is 'Don't You Worry Child' which right off the bat opens with "There was a time I used to look into my father's eyes, In a happy home, I was a king, I had a golden throne, Those days are gone, now the memory's on the wall, I hear the songs from the places where I was born" these lyrics strike a chord for me because they take me back to childhood innocence before the world had its chance to fuck you over.  That time in my life was shorter than it's meant to be, but what I remember I still hold onto, I still reminisce about the time when I didn't have to care about the world and I didn't have to worry, when there was no danger. 

The lyrics that speak most to who I am now though are those that read "My father said, Don't you worry, don't you worry, child, See heaven's got a plan for you, Don't you worry, don't you worry now" the religious connotations aside, the meaning of these words for me is the reminder of that belief that everything in life happens for a reason, that you may not understand it in the moment but with time you will, to hold on and survive because there is more to life and more to come and there is something greater waiting for you.  I've spoken about how hard it can be to find the will to live for someone who has had moments in life where suicide featured so heavily, the words of this song may seem light and trivial to some, but for those who have lived that life their weight is heavy, the emotion attached is strong, and the uplifting music that carries you through the narrative reinforces the importance of looking forward, to the future, to positivity, and holding on to that feeling.

Featured on this album is the track 'Antidote' produced in collaboration with Knife Party, with a progression that is much more intense and aggressive the track is reinforced with the lyrics "There's a glitch inside my system, Rushin' through my whole existence, Got me twisted, can't resist this, Somethin's flippin' all my switches, Take 'em, break 'em, make 'em feel it, Mix it up and mass-appeal it, Pressure is ridin' me hard, Killer dose right to my heart" these lyrics talk about the feeling of something being fundamentally wrong with you, like a disease eating away inside you, the recondition that something is wrong, a darkness growing that is seductive, and drawing you in, something you can't resist, that moment where you begin to spiral as your senses are overcome by the act of self destruction.  The aggressive bass line of the song to me represents the heartbeat of fear and excitement intertwined and the lyrics "Antidote, There's no antidote" epitomise the loss of control that occurs in that moment when this spiral takes hold there's nothing you can do to stop it just go with it and let it spin you around.

'Save The World' is another track I want to mention because it touches on something that has always been a struggle for me.  In life, when you feel vulnerable, scared, or threatened, it's natural to seek out a hero.  'Holding Out For A Hero' by Bonnie Tyler exemplifies that feeling for me, of which the Jennifer Saunders cover is my favourite.  'Save The World' by Swedish House Mafia however takes this notion of searching for a hero and asks the question of who it would be then answers it pointedly, we have to save ourselves.  The lyrics "Who's gonna save the world tonight?  Who's gonna bring it back to life?  We're gonna make it, you and I, We're gonna save the world tonight" answers this question explicitly, this song is a song of hope and hopelessness, in the former that we may succeed but in the latter it fails to inspire much confidence because we're the ones that fucked it up in the first place.

Swedish House Mafia for a time dominated EDM and grew to such success that they dominated the mainstream too.  They disbanded in 2013 and left a documentary as their parting gift for fans, there was genuine grieving for the group and a sense of loss.  Half a decade later they reunited to perform at Ultra in Miami followed by a series of tours and confirmation that they were working on new music.

Swedish House Mafia have had such an impact and will leave behind a legacy that will be hard to match.  Legends within EDM and known even to those who do not venture into the wider genre and sub genres of music they have touched the hearts of many with their music.  Their music will form part of my music library and I can't ever see a time where I would get rid of it.  EDM is a genre of music that is hard to describe in many respects because of how much it is based on the experience, many EDM tracks don't even feature vocals at all so there are no lyrics to quote or to describe how the music makes you feel but the connection is real, and once again in the end all that matters is what it makes you feel.