The timing could be better. Swedish House Mafia, an electronic dance music supergroup comprised of DJs Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso, has announced its early retirement just as EDM is reaching previously unthinkable mainstream heights.
Having already sold millions of downloads, becoming the first EDM act to sell out Madison Square Garden and comfortably settling in as the kings of rave pop, new compilation disc “Until Now” finds Swedish House Mafia at the height of its commercial powers.
(Polydor) - Swedish House Mafia’s album “Until Now.”
The trio specializes in a sugary version of EDM, one that prizes accessibility over progressiveness, and pyrotechnics over subtlety. “Until Now” (available as an 11-track album and a far superior 23-track deluxe version) is heavy on guest vocals, energetic, Ibiza-in-the-late-’90s-style anthems and four-on-the-floor beats.
There is no shortage of blissed-out, Euro-inspired tracks. A reworking of Coldplay’s “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall,” which adds a thumping house beat while leaving the original’s blueprint intact, is one of many remixes of Top 40 acts like Florence and the Machine and Usher. It’s the best thing here, mostly because Coldplay is the Swedish House Mafia of pop bands. “Don’t You Worry Child,” featuring Swedish singer John Martin, is almost as great — it’s seamless, roof-rattling and capital-B Big. For better or worse, Swedish House Mafia doesn’t do small.
— Allison Stewart
RECOMMENDED TRACKS
“Greyhound,” “You Got the Love,” “Every Teardrop Is a Waterfall”
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