Customer Reviews

Understanding

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

After 3 years since the release of "Melody A.M", Royskopp finally follows up with "The Understanding". "Melody A.M" was a delight to listen to. It was one of the best chill out albums I had heard that year. I was hoping that their next album would be just as good and I was right. I found "The Understanding" just as good as their first album. I loved the percolating electrnoic beats and the lush melodies that also could be found on the group's first album. "The Understanding" kicks off with the haunting melodies of "Triumphant". I immediately fell in love with the combination of trip hop beats and fragile piano melodies. The cd continues to get better with the electro-clash lite track "Only This Moment". It had a good beat. One of the few weaker tracks on the album is "49 Percent". I'm not really into r&b music so I couldn't get into the smooth, r&b vocals by Chelonis R. Jones. The highlight of the album for me has to be track 7 "What Else is There?". I just loved the vocals Karin Dreijer. It is another great dance track on the album. It was nice that Royskopp picked up the beat on "The Understanding" without totally ditching their laid back grooves that most people fell in love with. I haven't been able to stop listening to "The Understanding". It has quickly become the soundtrack to my summer.

On their 2001 debut, "Melody AM," Norway's Torbjorn and Svein Bergem of Royksopp raised the bar of downtempo electronica with such tasty confections such as "Eple," "Sparks," and "So Easy." But on "The Understanding," they just simply want to make you dance. The grooves are harder, edgier, and darker than what we've come to expect, but the sound is still very much Royksopp. If you're looking for a chillout disc, this ain't the one. It's a radical departure from its predecessor, so fans should be warned and proceed with a degree of caution and an open mind. A welcome surprise is "49 Percent," which hits you hard with a stuttering beat and an unexpectedly soulful vocal from Chelonis Jones. It's easily one of my favorite tracks. "Sombre Detune" and "Someone Like Me" helps give the disc a funky edge. Other standouts include the lush and ambient "Dead to the World," while "Beautiful Day Without You" is a classic piece of synth pop. Every song here is good, except perhaps for "Alpha Male," which unfortunately wears out its welcome within 4 minutes of its 8 minute running time. Beyond that, it's one of the most engaging electronic records of the year.

I originally heard of the Norwegian group Royksopp when visiting Amsterdam. I had MTV Europe on in my hotel room (MTV Europe actually still plays music, what a concept!) and I saw the video for "Poor Leno" and was instantly hooked. Of course, when you hear a song so instantly infectious to your ears, you think, how the heck can they possibly follow this up?

The answer is "The Understanding," an absolute gem of a disc that builds on the bands beginnings and takes their music one step beyond, creating swirling cinematic melodies coupled with beautiful, emotive, yet understated vocals. The first single and video, "Only This Moment" is sublime. (Be sure to check out the video online at the Astralwerks website.) The song is plaintive, emotional, melancholy, and at the same time "funky", albeit in a Norwegian Electronica sort of way.

I have had this disc for two weeks and it has yet to leave my CD player. Call it electronica, dance, downtempo,or whatever you like... this music is gorgeous and cinematic. Music based in electronica can sometimes be cold and inaccessible, but Royksopp know how to put emotion in their music. Royksopp's music is rather hard to categorize... Let's call it "Norwegian Bliss".

Note: The limited edition 2CD set is worth the extra few dollars! It includes bonus tracks, mainly instrumental, unavailable elsewhere.

"The Understanding" doesn't disappoint my expectations... It is more than just electro-pop.. Full of different moods, the album is certainly more mature and complete than "Melody A.M."
The freshening first single "Only this moment", the hypnotic "49%", the atmospheric and dark "Sombre Detune" and "Alpha Male" are simply beautiful, like the "Beautiful Day Without You" , the perfect soundtrack of a day at the beach. The distinctive "nordic beat" vibrates especially on "Circuit Breaker", "Someone like Me" and on the Bjork-esque "What Else Is There?". "The Triumphant","Tristesse Globale" and "Dead to the World" are more intimate but equally charming.

Let me start by saying that I really wanted to give the album a 3 1/2, but whatever. Now, I'm sure I'm not going to say anything new that the previous 50-something reviews haven't already, but as I'm a new fan of Royksopp, I feel that maybe I might not be as biased as the long term fans. I'll admit that until I saw the Geico commercial, I never knew Royksopp existed. Hate me now long time fans; I care not in the least. Anyway, I think I purchased Melody AM about 2 or so months prior to The Understanding and was floored by it-ABSO-FREAKING-LUTELY FLOORED. So naturally I was going to grab The Understanding (although I'll confess, that I put off buying The Understanding for months because I wanted to hear Melody AM first).

Well, The Understanding...takes some understanding. After Melody AM, you wonder "Why the heck did they go in this direction?" You may feel like they spit in your eye with this one. I guess it takes an open mind. If you're the type of person who enjoys many genres, I can't see why you wouldn't like at least half of this album. I liked "Only This Moment" the moment I heard it; the vocals work so well together and it makes me feel...I don't know...hopeful or something (corny, I know). "Circuit Breaker" is funky and I like its energy, much like "49 Percent". "49 Percent" is my tie for fave with "Only This Moment". "Alphamale" does nothing for me, personally. "What Else Is There" was hard for me to swallow at first, but then it grew on me. It has a sort of desolate, macabre feel to it for me...I can imagine being in a desert at night, full of hallucinogenes and feeling insignificant against nature when I listen to it...and the chick singing really sounds a lot like Cindy Lauper, though not as eccentric. I feel that if you're truly a lover of music, you'll at least like this CD.

I noticed reviewers saying things like "I liked this until I heard it in Electronics Boutique" or "I loved it until it went mainstream." I really hate when people say things like "I loved this until it became mainstream," or "I wish everyone else would stay away from my genre of music." Good music is good music and no one has the right to try to horde music like some stingy troll or rancid dragon hording a stolen treasure. Personally, I feel that if you can't like something simply because other people like it or "play it out" then you're just a fickle supporter at best.

That being said, The Understanding doesn't compare to Melody AM, regardless of how aware I am of the different paths the two CDs follow. You won't suffer a great loss if you don't pick it up, like you would if you ignored Melody AM...but you won't be buying the worst CD on the planet if you get it. I don't know if that helps much, but there it is.

So Royksopp comes back to us again, this time with more experience. What you will notice immediately after a play all, is that their is more lyrics and they have more meaning. It cannot be said that Melody A.M. is better or worse, for this album does not seem to be in the same envirometn we were introduced to not too long ago. This album, only being their second, shifts their musical paradigm. Shifts it so much, you might feel betrayed.

The tracks are laid out very suspiciously. One might feel a rollercoaster ride from track to track. On my first play all, i didn't like that feeling, now i love the ride. Starting very slowly, seemingly to skip a gear up, then shift back down is something some have a hard time with in their taste. The track "What else is there" seems so distant from anything they have ever attempted before, and greatfully pulled it off so well.

The track "49 percent" seems so daring, almost too daring for this genre, but again, bravo. You won't be absolutely positive that when "49 percent" starts to play, that it is still Royksopp. Rest asure though, it's just confirmation one how diverse their experience has matured their ears and emotion.

Finally the track "Only this moment" needs mention. The lyrics sway from at begining "...Deep down inside i know our love will _DIE_." onto the middle "...Falling in love is not part of the plan." only to finalize the track with "...Deep down inside i know i will _SURVIVE_.". They're showing maturity very vividly in this track.

Nothing can take away from Melody A.M.'s tracks like "Eple", but we may very well never hear such diversity of music and signs of musical evolution than in this album. One thing is for sure however, with the path they have taken from their first album to this one, we cannot be sure at all what their third come back will sound like. Just can't even be estimated.

I find both of their albums equally wonderful today, and equally different in respect to sound. Give this one a play, at the very least, you definately won't feel you wasted your money.

One of the most epic albums this year, never fails to send shivers up my spine. A perfect blend of beautifully erie vocals, warm but full melodies all floated along by stunning bass lines. What more to say..? This is a fantastic album.

Röyksopp have showed a lot of maturity as artists, starting to experiment with different sounds as opposed to the more electronica oriented debut album, "Melody AM". I love their new album, its so great just to chill out to. If you didn't like this album, you haven't realized and learned to appreciate the talent these guys have.

I've had this record for several weeks since it was released earlier here in the US, so I've had a while to get used to it. And this is the kind of record that takes a few listens.

Reviewers here in the newspapers have rated this record usually at 4/6, with the occasional 5/6. The album has a very different feel to it compared to "Melody AM", so it's clear that some old fans might be dissappointed. But it's nothing like Abba, A-ha or Erasure, like some of the reviewers here have suggested.

If you prefer your Ambient to be mega-groovy or edgy, then look elsewhere! This album starts with it's livelier tracks and then gets gradually more and more introverted. Even though some of the later tracks have beats, their mood is mostly softer than the starting tracks.

Also, some tracks, especially 49%, can be experienced as poppy in a "camp" way - but it still is defintely not Erasure! However, it's also a catchy tune, so it depends on your taste.

Although Erlend Øye does not sing on this album I'd say that Röyksopps musical kinship with bands like Kings of Convenience grows with this album - more focus on sensitivity and quiet expressiveness, except accompanied by electronic beats, not guitars. The main male vocalist sings in a soft, muted way, and sometimes uses the upper part of his tenor range (but it's not a falsetto), which I think is what some other reviewers didn't like....The sound itself is a matter of taste, but there is nothing wrong with the vocals - he does a very good job. (And 49% has a guest vocalist whose voice is even higher pitched).

Compared to Melody AM, I'd say this album relates to it's dreamier tracks like "Sparks" and "Remind me", so if you liked those you should try the new album, but if you favourite was "Eple", then don't expect to find anything like it on here. It also does not have quite the same sparkle of originality that "Melody AM" had, but it's hard to perform like that twice in a row! Röyksopp have clearly expanded their range, and developer a slightly richer sound, which is why this album deserves a thorough listen before writing a review - and can probably stand many more listens once you own it better than albums which have a more immediate appeal.

My favourite tracks are "Only this moment" - the single they have released, "Someone like me", "Sombre detune", "Beautiful Day without You" (all these are clearly related to Röysopp of old), and "Triumphant" could have been written by Moby with the prominent piano theme.

I was also lucky enough to get a bonus disc with an additional five tracks which are also definitely worth having! "Go Away" has beats and flutes like the some of the best of the Melody AM tracks - it also has vocals. "Clean sweep" has one of these edgy, outer space feels, which you can't find on the album itself. "Boys" is also darker and edgier. "Head" is definitely danceable with emphasis on the changing beats. "Looser now" has a compelling, lightly danceable "flyaway" rhythm a la Talvin Singh - I don't think there is a real tabla here but they do imitate the sound of one.

I wonder if they made the wrong decision when they edited the album: These five tracks should have been on it, and some of the most obviously camp stuff which got a place should have been left out. But I guess they wanted to prioritize reinventing themselves....

Nevertheless "The Understanding" is a thoroughly pleasant listen and is highly recommendable, but especially WITH the bonus disc!

It's been 3 years since the fantastic "Melody AM" was released from the Norwegian dance/chillout band Röyksopp and thankfully it won't make you dissapointed cause Röyksopp follows the same forumla as before with slow emotional chillout dance with great melody and passion. Apart from many other simular bands they always stick to their dance roots and never release something that entirely sound like soft rock or smooth jazz, always dance here. Most songs are instrumental but some have smooth vocals aswell, however it's always the sound that leads the way.

"Triumphant" is a great start, with it's slow melancholy piano sound and dance beats it's hard to not like. "On This Moment" got female vocals and it reminds me of the latter works from ATB. "49 Procent" starts with drum sounds, it's a man singing and it's actually more lyrically based then the average Röyksopp song. "Follow The Rain" it's simular. "Boys" is a midtempo song good to dance to with great melody, still rather soft. "Beautiful Day Without You" is a great number aswell, male vocals and emotional sound.

"What Else is There", featuring the voice of Karin Dreijer who used to sing in the Swedish electro-pop band The Knife. Very good song. "Circuit Breaker" has to be the most uptempo song here while "Alpha Male" starts the slowest, most emotional, it later builds up to a real floorfiller simular to some of the previous songs on "Melody AM". "Someone Like Me" is also slow and emotional with male vocals again, "Dead to the World" is very slow, almost sounds like taken from a movie. Very Beautiful. "Tristesse Global" is a great ending cause it sounds like the openeing alot with piano playing.

Some have complained that "The Understanding" doesn't have the same electro sound as their previous album and that it has gone to much into pop, but I beg to differ. I can agree that this album have few electro songs, but it's gone further towards chillout, the sound that made them famous in the first place. If that is what you liked about them, this album isa perfect. It's slow and romantic, full of great emotional, moody melodies. A great album for sure.