Royksopp

Only This Moment opens with a big swirling whoosh of feeling. It is trademark Royksopp that captures a multitude of emotions. Torbjörn Brundtland and Svein Berge, the Scandic brainchildren, are building strong foundations, as their second, critically acclaimed album, The Understanding, is proving. This, the first single from it, has a commercial Balearic sensibility but underpinned by an enchanting broadness of sound and mind. The vocals are haunting and beckoning, and the soundscape is rich and multi-layered. The vocal chorus hook, courtesy of Kate Havnevik is sexy and mysterious. However, if Royksopp aren't your cuppa, I'm probably wasting my descriptive time. But if they are, head for a beach, plug into your MP3 player and indulge the mellow electro soul. And one last thing, possibly the quote of the year must be Svein Berge arguing the futility of comparing The Understanding to their first, incredibly successful long player, Melody A.M. "It's like trying to compare two testicles. One is not better than the other. Both are vital to the Röyksopp anatomy."

Rob Barnett, Music News