"Silent Shout" is the first single and title track from the album Silent Shout

Silent Shout

Silent Shout is the third studio album by Swedish electronic duo The Knife. It was initially released in Sweden on 15 February 2006 by Rabid Records, and subsequently in the rest of Europe the following month and in the United States on 25 July by Mute Records. Silent Shout is darker than its...

by the Swedish electronic duo The Knife

The Knife

The Knife are a Swedish electronic music duo from Gothenburg, formed in 1999. The group consists of siblings Karin Dreijer Andersson and Olof Dreijer, who together also run their own record company, Rabid Records. They first received international attention after their song "Heartbeats", covered by...

. The song was released in 2006.

Critical reception

Paul Woloszyn of MusicOMH

MusicOMH

musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...

 gave a positive review, describing "Silent Shout" as "brooding, bassy, dance-fuelled electronica" that is "pure evil." Likewise, Sharon Edge of Contactmusic.com

Contactmusic.com

Contactmusic.com is a Leeds UK based entertainment magazine/webzine. The site was launched in April 2000 by a small team and has now expanded to 12 fulltime staff and many freelance contributors from across the globe...

 opined, "the lush and dreamy production is reminiscent of Bristol's finest

Trip hop

Trip hop is a music genre consisting of downtempo electronic music which originated in the early 1990s in England, especially Bristol. Deriving from "post"-acid house, the term was first used by the British music media and press as a way to describe the more experimental variant of breakbeat which...

, while the electronic beats call godfathers of electro Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk

Kraftwerk is an influential electronic music band from Düsseldorf, Germany. The group was formed by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider in 1970, and was fronted by them until Schneider's departure in 2008...

 to mind." Edge went on to praise the song as "an intriguing and promising taster" that contains "a moody dance angle to it in the style of VNV Nation

VNV Nation

VNV Nation are a British/Irish electronic music band originally from Dublin, Ireland and Essex, United Kingdom and now based in Hamburg, Germany. They combine elements of electro-industrial, trance, synthpop and electronic body music . The members are Ronan Harris and Mark Jackson...

."

Blender

Blender (magazine)

Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....

placed "Silent Shout" at #92 on its 100 Greatest Songs of 2006. Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media

Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...

 placed "Silent Shout" at #2 on The Top 100 Tracks of 2006 and at #74 on its Top 500 Songs of the 2000s. In addition, Resident Advisor

Resident Advisor

Resident Advisor is an online electronic music magazine dedicated to the global dance music scene. The website won a People's Voice award in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008.-Site History:...

 voted "Silent Shout" at #16 on the Top 30 Tracks of 2006 and at #30 on its Top 100 Tracks of the 2000s. Slant Magazine

Slant Magazine

Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...

placed "Silent Shout" at #84 on its Best of the Aughts: Singles.

Development

For "Silent Shout", director and long-time collaborator Andreas Nilsson

Andreas Nilsson

Andreas Nilsson is an artist and director based in Malmö, Sweden, best known for his contributions to the music videos of The Knife, Fever Ray, MGMT, Goldfrapp, José González, White Lies, Peter, Björn & John, Moby and Bright Eyes.-2010:...

 drew on the work of Charles Burns

Charles Burns (cartoonist)

Charles Burns is an American cartoonist, illustrator and film director.-Life:Burns is renowned for his meticulous, high-contrast and creepy artwork and stories. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife, painter Susan Moore, and their two daughters Ava and Rae-Rae.His father was an oceanographer for...

’ graphic novel Black Hole

Black Hole (comics)

Black Hole was a twelve-issue comic book limited series written and illustrated by Charles Burns and published first by Kitchen Sink Press and then Fantagraphics...

. Karin Dreijer Andersson

Karin Dreijer Andersson

Karin Elisabeth Dreijer Andersson , commonly known by her stage name Fever Ray, is the lead vocalist of the electronic duo The Knife, formed with her brother Olof Dreijer. Andersson was previously the vocalist and guitarist of the alternative rock band Honey Is Cool...

 explained the connection of the video to the song:

"We told Andreas we wanted something very dark and surrealist. When he came up with this idea it was perfect. [...] it has all the elements that we like – it’s very sad, but hard and beautiful at the same time. And it’s cold, but it’s warm."

Synopsis

In the music video, mutated people reminiscent of Black Hole

Black Hole (comics)

Black Hole was a twelve-issue comic book limited series written and illustrated by Charles Burns and published first by Kitchen Sink Press and then Fantagraphics...

sing along to the song. Flashing white and orange lights are seen throughout the video. Eventually, a group of mutated people is seen traveling through a forest. A giant man resting on a pillow and blanket nestled against trees continues to sing the song as the group travels by in the background.

Reception

Gigwise.com

Gigwise.com

Gigwise.com is an online music magazine that features music news, photos, album reviews, music festivals, concert tickets, and a community forum. Founded in 2001, the magazine is based in the United Kingdom....

 praised the music video as "as brilliant mix of flashing, multi-coloured lights and strange set piece scenes."

Live performances

The Knife performed "Silent Shout" on their live DVD

DVD

A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....

 Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience

Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience

Silent Shout: An Audio Visual Experience is a live DVD from The Knife, taken from the April 12, 2006 concert at the Trädgår'n, Gothenburg, Sweden, in their 2006 Silent Shout tour...

.

Track listings

• UK CD, Maxi single

1. "Silent Shout (Radio Edit)" - 4:02
2. "Silent Shout (Williams Acidic Circuits Remix)" - 9:46
3. "Silent Shout (Troy Pierce Barado En Locombia Mix)" - 6:30
4. "Silent Shout (Shinedoe Remix)" - 7:11
5. "Silent Shout (Album Version)" - 4:53

• U.S. Vinyl, 12-inch single

1. "Silent Shout (Williams Acidic Circuits Remix)" - 9:46
2. "Silent Shout (Album Version)" - 4:53
3. "Silent Shout (Troy Pierce Barado En Locombia Mix)" - 6:30
4. "Silent Shout (Shinedoe Remix)" - 7:11

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak Position
UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ...	208
U.S. Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales Hot Dance Singles Sales is a chart released weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States, established in 1985. It measures the sale of commercially released singles that deal with dance music and remixes...	12