The Swedish trio's last album serves to wrap up their brief but prolific career. (via Wikimedia)

Since making the announcement, the trio has released their second and final full-length album, titled "Until Now," on October 22, 2012 with EMI Records. The group's first album, called "Until One," was released in 2010.

If you're expecting entirely new tracks from the world famous trio, this is not the album for you. This "soundtrack," as Swedish House Mafia calls it, is more of a collection of the group's favorite songs.

Taking inspiration from live mixes and a wide range of collaborative artists, the tracks highlight existing songs and each artist as an individual for a good portion of the album. Although new work would be nice to see, the album is a solid comprehensive piece that flows well from one track to another.

The Deluxe version of the album includes handpicked original tracks from the group's first album, "Until One." The album's hard-hitting beats are best heard on a sound system with proper bass, and many of the tracks are club-ready as ever.

The album is heavy on mashups and collaborations with other artists' works, from Steve Aoki, Dirty South and Ivan Gough to Coldplay, Florence + The Machine and Usher. All bring their own flavor to the tracks, and this adds diversity to the final album which otherwise doesn't look much different from what the group already has out.

The lyrics on the tracks take the listener on a journey, as the songs hit melodic notes that tap the emotional depths of its listeners. The wide appeal of a hopeful sense of wonder about the unknown are common themes that take the listener on a ride through the peaks and valleys of each song, while still making it danceable with plenty of punchy bass.

The track titled "Calling (Lose My Mind)" featuring Ryan Tedder of OneRepublic is a prime example, as Tedder sings, "Can we freeze karma and surrender our rights and wrongs / Can we just for a night let the stars decide where we belong." The addition of Tedder's vocals to the original, already-outstanding track, "Calling," give it more depth and meaning.

Many tracks also have a common thread of a feeling of hopefulness in regards to love, a positive outlook and a wonder of the unknown. The track's lyrics, "I will find you / I will reach you / or I will lose my mind" reflect this theme as well, as do the lyrics from the track "Don't You Worry Child" featuring John Martin.

Martin sings, "There was a time, I met a girl of a different kind / We ruled the world / Thought I'll never lose her out of sight / We were so young, I think of her now and then / I still hear the songs reminding me of when." There is a sense of nostalgia and a sadness yet hopefulness to the song, as the father assures him, "see heaven's got a plan for you." 

The album as a whole features dream-laden lyrics, heavy on fantasy, nostalgia and often tapping into the emotions of its listeners, then bringing them back up to feel as if with music, everything is going to be alright no matter what.

By focusing on broad, universal topics, the trio achieves a level of relatability that touches a wide audience, and has thus led to its mainstream appeal. The meaning behind the songs' lyrics can often be interpreted in different ways depending on the listener's perception. This, along with melodic delivery, round out the sound of the varied parts to each song. There are mellow, melodic segments that ramp up to a harder-hitting bass that uplifts the listener and makes him or her forget about the trivial matters of this world, and just want to transcend to the dreamy world Swedish House Mafia creates, and just dance in it. In other words, "Until Now" the perfect escape from everyday life.

Although the final album is a solid recording from the group, it feels incomplete without new additions to the group's repertoire. It seems as though they had already finished producing new tracks, and thus opted to use existing songs to create remixes and mashups instead of creating fresh ones. The album gets kudos for its depth, variety and thematic concept. However, new material would be ideal for the final album, as fans would undoubtedly like to have one more set of new tracks to remember the iconic yet short-lived group by.

Since their careers took off a few years ago, the members of Swedish House Mafia have become the poster children of mainstream progressive house music. Oftentimes, music fans crossing over into electronic music tend to like Swedish House Mafia's music before getting into other niche sub-genres. 

The group's popular dance music has carved its place into a wide range of parties, and its hits can be heard in dance clubs all over the world. The group hit a milestone when it sold out all the seats in Madison Square Garden in record time for a show in 2011.

Formed in 2008, the group has become one of the most recognizable house DJs in the world, playing at top venues and sold-out shows globally. What started as a chance meeting became an international sensation. However, as in July 2012, the group announced via its website that it would no longer be making music together after their final tour, aptly named "One Last Tour." Steve Angello has said that "we just decided that we reached a point where we didn't know what the next move would be," according to Rolling Stone magazine. He acknowledged that "we've had (success) beyond our dreams and we've come very, very far."

It is almost certain that each member will make the most of their solo time to working on their individual projects and passions. Angello has also previously stated that he plans on further developing his own label, Size Records, in the near future.

Fans have had many questions since hearing the unexpected news of the still-rising stars ending their careers as part of the legendary electronic music group. Are they trying to be like Michael Jordan, ending at their peak? Or is it too early? Perhaps they will come out of retirement like Jordan did? Maybe they are doing this in part for the publicity, and to capitalize on the jaw-dropping proportions of sales for their One Last Tour tickets, for example.

The one thing that's certain is that Swedish House Mafia will be missed, and although the group will cease to exist, their music and footprint on the electronic and mainstream music scene won't fade away anytime soon, if at all. In the meantime, the trio leaves us with a new album to enjoy right now, and one last pair of L.A. concerts to wait for until March. 

Read more of NT's album reviews here.