Wow! What a surprise! If you're familiar with Knower, you probably didn't expect a record like this. Knower‘s trademark sound is their blend of jazz, funk, and ethereal pop. Also, a big part of their music is how they package all these influences with beefy electronic beats and succulent synths. In fact the beats and synths have been integral to the duo's musical identity and have been key ingredients in some of their most memorable tracks, like “Hanging On” (from Life).

So, it comes as a bit of a shock that in Knower Forever, the beats are completely gone and the synths are reduced to measly bleeps, if they are present at all! Basically, Genevieve Artadi and Louis Cole have gone “au naturel” on this album.

But Knower Forever is still very much a dance record. It is certainly unlike any of the duo's other records, but still as fine, if not finer. Yup, Knower Forever is probably the duo's best work yet.

The job of providing the beats (and vital energy) to the songs here is shouldered solely by Cole's organic drumming. Cole's drumming have played a secondary role to electronic beats on previous Knower albums. However, you have not experienced drumming like this on any of the duo's previous releases.

Cole is an established jazz drummer, and he just lets it rip on Knower Forever. His “machine gun” drumming on parts of “I’m The President” and “The Abyss” add beautiful chaos to these relatively laidback tracks. On “It’s All Nothing Until It's Everything” he goes “progressive rock” with his drumming and on “Do Hot Girls Like Chords,” where the focal point is a headbanging guitar riff, Cole’s drumming proves that one can rock out to a Knower track, as they would to their favorite metal band.

Artadi adds her own magic to Knower Forever, which is very sparse, yet dreamy thanks to her angelic vocals. Sometimes quirky and othertimes soaring, Artadi’s voice maintains the feeling of familiarity with Knower’s previous works and provides comfort as the listener gets used to the duo’s new stripped-down sound.

Speaking of stripped-down sound, this change in musical direction has enabled Artadi and Cole to create space for some fabulous collaborators – mostly jazz musicians – to show off their chops on this record. Although there have been guest musicians featured on Knower’s songs in the past, these collaborations take on a whole new meaning here. Due to the lack of other instrumentation, there is a lot of room for longer guitar, piano, and saxophone solos, which are jazzy, vibrant, and at times crazy. Don’t be surprised if you find yourself thinking of David Bowie’s Blackstar when listening to some of Knower Forever’s tracks!

True to Knower’s independent spirit, the duo has created an album that’s totally unexpected. Knower Forever’s sparseness might be a blessing in disguise, as it has revealed a completely different side of the band. Artadi and Cole have challenged themselves musically, creating a work that’s challenging to the listener as well. But the process of overcoming this challenge and coming to a point where you cannot stop listening to this album again and again out of pure enjoyment, is what makes Knower Forever the duo’s most satisfying work. Bravo Knower!

Rating: A-

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