7 Royksopp The Understanding Wall of Sound / Astralwerks | 2005 | Album Biography Comments (0) Read Full Page Digg Review Add del.icio.us   "The Understanding" is the second full length cd from the Norwegian duo Royksopp. A couple of guest vocalists are used on two of the tracks- with mixed results. Fans of the band Air will certainly enjoy this disc until the follow-up to "Talkie Walkie" is released. Both bands share similar elements in their approach. The vocals tend to be sung in a schoolboy like voice and take a back seat to the instrumental parts. The melodies are strong for both bands. Air uses more guitar than Royksopp. Both bands come off as very European—which they are. The opening track "Triumphant" is a nice instrumental that keeps building and building as the song progresses. From the soft piano intro—the sound just grows and grows and grows. "49 Percent" is a collaboration with Chelonis R. Jones. The song reminds me of boy -band soul. A little too commercial for my taste. "Sombre Detune" is a fun minimalist instrumental. "Alpha Male" is another cool instrumental. The beginning sounds like the Kraftwerk synth line from the classic "Autobahn". Then the synth speeds up to reveal a propulsive rock instrumental. My favorite song is their collaboration with Karin Dreijer called "What Else Is There". Very ethereal and hypnotic! Torbjorn Bruntland and Svein Berge (a.k.a. Royksopp) have created a fine Euro-synth cd . I enjoyed their 2001 debut cd "Melody A.M." much more than this disc. "The Understanding" seems a little more overtly commercial than the debut. Still- about six of the twelve tracks are really good. As I said earlier- if you can't wait until the next Air cd is released give "The Understanding" a try. Others might want to search out the fine "Melody A.M." cd. J. Marsh Comments (0) Help Support Kevchino - Use these links to buy new music.

Reviews Royksopp - Melody A.M. (9 out of 10) Kevchino Live Reviews Royksopp - Henry Fonda Theatre, Los Angeles, CA (8 out of 10) Kevchino Releases Royksopp - The Understanding Wall of Sound - 2005 - Album Royksopp - Melody A.M. Astralwerks - 2002 - Album