The Knife / DEEP CUTS

‘Deep Cuts’ returns a bout of early ‘00s nostalgia with its brace of mutant electro-pop smarts including its louche anthem ‘Heartbeats’ plus single cuts ‘You Take My Breath Away’, and the ‘Handy-Man’ included as bonus beside the club-ready winners ‘This Is Now’ and ‘The Birdge.’ It casts us back to a strange era in the neon fallout of electoclash, on the cusp of industry misfire “Nu-Rave”, when feathered fringes, terrible denim and shit drugs were in abundance.

With typical Swedish finesse, The Knife made that all feel OK with their timeless hooks and polished production offering a classy alternative to the chart-dominating efforts of their fellow countrymen Max Martin and co, helping to define and cushion an era that history will surely regard as a massive hangover from the hyper innovative ‘90s. Massive tip for the Maikna/New Monkey style hyper-pop of ‘Listen Now’! (Boomkat)