Send "Royksopp " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 Röyksopp's career arc to date has seen the Norwegian duo steadily developing into exquisite pop architects. Beginning with the comparatively muted Melody A.M. in 2001 and continuing through to 2005's brighter, bolder The Understanding, Röyksopp fully blossomed into electro-pop impresarios with last year's Junior, sculpting alternately effervescent and melancholic synthesized soundscapes to accompany an expressive cadre of female singers. Looser than Air or Zero 7 yet less all-over-the-map than Basement Jaxx, Röyksopp seemed to have found their niche and hit their stride, crafting danceable, emotionally satisfying techno-pop that's neither too tasteful nor too garish.It took Röyksopp, always busy remixing other artists, nearly four years to follow up Melody A.M. with The Understanding and another four to unveil Junior, so the release of Senior after a scant 18 months already suggests it's a different sort of beast. Following three albums of increasingly accessible pop, Senior is an entirely instrumental effort, and a moody, slowly unfurling one at that. Taken as a resolutely minor work, it yields a favorable amount of correspondingly minor charms, but there's also no mistaking that it neutralizes much of the momentum Röyksopp have gradually been building up over the past several years. Röyksopp's previous albums have all been peppered with instrumental cuts, typically serving as palate cleansers or interstitial tissue to subtly strengthen the album's effect as a whole. Yet a whole LP of interstitials isn't the sort of thing that can stand on its own. The kind of downtempo stuff that makes up the majority of Röyksopp's vocal-less compositions just doesn't hold up to concentrated, repeated listens like many other forms of instrumental electronic music (techno, post-disco, wonky, etc.). Its ruminative nature is at odds with rhythmic propulsion and rarely delivers much of a "wow" factor. At the same time, it also lacks the precise, engrossing intricacy Four Tet or Caribou exhibit in their oft-contemplative efforts....full text |
| Thelineofbestfit |
| Röyksopp‘s fourth album Senior begins with a choice. Recall – if you will – the pill scene in The Matrix. The opener here, ‘And The Forest Began to Sing’ soundtracks you settling into that comfortable leather armchair, ready for what is to come. Right afterwards, ‘Tricky Two’ represents the choice. This warped, strung-out version of a familiar love is Röyksopp’s way of telling you that if things have become too strange for you, you can turn back, wake up and everything will be as it was. Or, you can carry on, you can see “how deep the rabbit hole goes”. ‘Tricky Two’ is a new expansion of ‘Tricky Tricky’, a song from Senior‘s counterpart and predecessor Junior, one of the best and most uplifting pop records of last year. From the beginning, Junior and Senior were to be a set, this second part originally also planned for release in 2009, making its actual appearance the best part of nine months late. Fortunately, Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland’s self-confessed uncontrollable perfectionism has paid off in spades. Just as ‘Tricky Two’ is a longer, more atmospheric and labyrinthine instrumental version of ‘Tricky Tricky’, Senior is a more “withdrawn, introspective” and primarily ambient successor to Junior. It’s for this reason that ‘Tricky Two’ represents such an important junction point; soon after it, some listeners will feel a little alienated by this record’s altogether more indirect approach, while others will be drawn in by its intricate mystique as much as they were by Junior‘s gleeful bounce. As with waking up from the Matrix, readjusting to Röyksopp’s new world can be a lonely experience. Whilst the last record was packed with guest vocalists from Lykki Li to Robyn, Senior‘s cavernous, slowly evolving soundscapes see Berge and Brundtland striking out very much on their own. Even the titles imply isolation, not least that of “The Fear”, one of the strongest pieces on the album which without apparent effort, fills seven minutes with ingeniously morphing synths, propped up by some of the album’s biggest beats but dominated in its latter stages by a synth line jerking with propulsive paranoia. After that, the album slips once more into the yawning abyss, climbing out again for the calm, chiming “Going Home”, with its woodblock beats and warm, wavebreak buzz for a backdrop....full text |
| Stereoboard |
| There is a saying that all good things come to those who wait and that’s certainly true of the new Royksopp album 'Senior'. After 18 months the wait will be over on Monday (13th September) and it really has been worth it. As the title suggests, this album is a more mature, almost experimental in feel offering from the Norwegian pair who have come a long way since 2001’s 'Melody AM'. At times sparse and brooding, at others euphoric and joyful 'Senior' will be a welcome delight to electronic music fans the world over. From the moment the opening strains of '...and The Forest Began To Sing' quietly fade the album awake until the empty spaciness of 'A Long, Long Way' fade away this is an album that holds your attention – not by being brash and in your face but by the exact opposite. The nine tracks weave through each other and counteract each other nicely with, at times, echoes of Kraftwerk, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton and other greats all done in Royksopps inimitable style, albeit a more grown-up, adult version. The full tracklist is: 01 ...and The Forest Began To Sing 02 Tricky Two 03 The Alcoholic 04 Senior Living 05 The Drug 06 Forsaken Cowboy 07 The Fear 08 Coming Home 09 A Long, Long Way On listening to the album for the first time something strikes you unexpectedly... There are no vocals. At all. I first noticed this when I realised Tricky Two (yes, it’s a reworking of “'Tricky, Tricky'!) had finished playing and I hadn’t heard any vocals – so I played it again but no! The odd thing is, the album just doesn’t need them. 'Tricky Two' conjures up mental images of dark, wet motorways, 'Coming Home' drops you right into the middle of a summers meadow, 'The Alcoholic' has just the right amount of sway, 'A Long, Long Way' sounds like a lonely radio transmitter crying to itself, need I go on? As a lover of electronica I must admit to having had quite high expectations for this and, after one listen, I wasn’t disappointed. But no-one ever listens to an album only once so I played it through again and was pleasantly surprised to hear bits I hadn’t the first time. Subtle touches of strings, almost silent atmospheric beds, minimal drumlines and little twinkles here and there just add to the maturity of this album – and to it’s listening pleasure! This is an album that you’ll fall in love with instantly – but will then grow on you from there. Be warned, this is a perfectly conceived and brilliantly executed album. Both clever and fun it will, without doubt, be huge. Royksopp have grown up – and don’t we know it......full text |
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