The Understanding

by

Röyksopp

Edit

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.

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.