Customer Reviews

Back to Mine

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Even though none of the cuts are by Royksopp per se, the cumulative feel of the CD itself is very Royksoppian and equally delightful to the ears. I recently had the pleasure of enjoying this entry into the "Back To Mine" series during a long road trip through the Pacific Northwest. While it was playing, I was in bliss. The boredom of driving was erased with a smile on my face during every moment it was playing. What a perfect CD for the road.

I was so excited when I went to my mailbox one sunny afternoon to find that the brand new Röyksopp CD, not even available in US stores, had finally arrived. I quickly jumped into my car, ripped open the packaging and sped away on a musical joyride. As the CD played on I thought to myself: ''What is this!? This doesn't sound like the Röyksopp I know and love at all.'' After a 30 minute tour, I pulled back into my driveway sorely disappointed. I put the CD away until the next day and oh what a difference a day can make. The second time I rethought my previous loathing and the third time I was digging more and more of the songs, especially the first track. In the course of a week it had become my favorite current CD. I brought it everywhere I went: to the beach, to bed, to dates, to outings with friends. Those I played it for dug it too and I came to realize that the purchase had been well worth it. Though not Röyksopp in the form I was used to (but then again, the Understanding was a complete departure from Melody A.M.), repeated listenings started to elucidate the some Röyksoppish elements. The first Röyksopp CD took us blissfully into the future, the second grounded us in the present, and the most recent ones takes us into the past in a funky, electro-synth sort of way. So take a chance!

This is the cd I discovered Royksopp with, and while not having any Royksopp trakcks per se, through the set you get to hear what these guys are all about. If you are into fun dj sets that move, check this out. The Funkadelic track at the end is the prize of the set, imo

This is a very groovy and smoothly mixed, retro dance entry in the Back to Mine series, and in my opinion, one of the best I've heard yet. The tracks in this mix range from 1973 to 1985. They touch on late 70's disco and funk, and early to mid 80's italo disco.

Interest in italo disco has peaked lately, with this Röyksopp mix, another retro mix called Hellboys, and a handful of new artists such as those featured on After Dark, who are creating new sounds molded from the past. Röyksopp has definitely touched all their Italo Disco bases, by including some of the most popular tracks of this early to mid 80's European genre: Mr. Flagio's Take A Chance, Valerie Dore's Get Closer, and Klein and M.B.O.'s Dirty Talk.

They start out the mix with the kooky sounds of The Talking Heads; dive into some Italo and standard disco grooves; throw in only 2 tracks from this decade (one is their own track, Meatball, under the Emmanuel Splice alias); and finish with some turn taking between italo disco and some late 70's funk. It's a well rounded and perfect trip back in time through disco, funk, and all it's groovy origins.

I want to also note that the back of the CD incorrectly numbers the tracks. Due to two tracks spliced together and taking up track spots 5 & 6, they did not give them each a number and list them both within track 5, so tracks 6-19 on the back of the CD are actually 7-20 on the disc itself.

Royksopp has provided a number of unexpected sounds and variances to their music. I doubt anyone could have guessed The Understanding would have been what it was after playing Melody AM inside out, but it ended up being fantastic - did it not?? This is a great upbeat, more poppy and easily vibed-to mix. And yes, the mixing and transitions are superb! The only thing I think anyone could criticize this album for is the fact that you might not dig the sound as much. It's a very electronic, dancy, happy kind of mix. Some artists would make the set to fit in with the sound of their own releases more, and included songs of their own that mix in well, but this is a fabulous DJ set that I'd love to hear 'em play out if ever so lucky. YOU WOULD DIG IT ALL NIGHT LONG!

Man ,oh man. This is the first negative review that I've ever written on amazon, but I really want to warn you about this one. Am I just not hip enough? Or is it the fact that I graduated high school in 1985 and have no desire to listen to bad music of that era? There are good reasons why some musical obscurities are obscure and that's because they should be. It's not that this compilation completely lacks any charms because it's occasionally vaguely charming, but it's mostly bad. It's mixed well, I suppose, so that's cool. I guess the fun of this album is to imagine that the creators of some of this music were actually serious, but I'm personally over imagining myself into actually liking cheesy music. Is it so cheesy that it's cool? If you want to find out for yourself, by all means, check this cheese platter out. In my opinion, a little cheese goes a long way, and this comp certainly goes the extra mile. I hate to use a lame pop cultural expression, but this comp makes me wonder if the previously highly esteemed Back To Mine series has jumped the shark. Avoid this comp, or at the very least, listen carefully before you buy it. No offense to Royksopp, who I've enjoyed in the past, but what were you thinking? Do you actually listen to music like this to unwind? Have you heard any other comps in this series? You've lowered the bar, gentlemen.

As quoted from Wikipedia to hopefully clear up some confusion about the sound of this new Röyksopp album.

Back to Mine is a series of mix albums, usually (though not always) mixed by renowned DJs or composers of electronic music. The compilations usually feature artists other than the artist compiling the album, and are based on what the artist would play at home after a night out, rather than as part of a nightclub session.

I love Royskopp. Melody A.M. is a fantastic album. This album, however, I can only describe as an excessive amount of mediocre songs that have influenced them in the past. No orginal material here. Just bland.