Oh the dreaded sophomore slump. I find it funny when a band acknowledges the obstacle of the slump, decides to change their sound in an effort to evade, makes an album they think will beat the slump and still come out below expectations.
So yeah, I’m laughing at Torbjörn Brundtland and Svein Berge, the duo who make up Röyksopp.
There was no way they were going to top Melody A.M. It just wasn’t going to happen. Melody A.M. was immediately engaging, helping to revitalize a dying genre with warmth and surprise. As artists, they wanted to keep growing. They didn’t want to release Melody A.M. part deux. And I can't fault them for that, but after listening to Röyksopp’s new album the Understanding, I can say in no uncertain terms, they should have at least tried to make Melody A.M. part deux. Or they could have made an album that wasn’t full of cliché 80s and 90s dance panache.
The Understanding is unimaginative, the lyrics are trite and the guest singers they brought in sound bored. Halfway through the Understanding, however, the boys settle back into some familiar territory but the damage has already been done.
I may be laughing, but inside I’m crying because I really wanted an album to rival the sublime beauty of Melody A.M and I really had hoped Röyksopp could have beaten the sophomore slump.
Stuff to Sample: From Röyksopp’s the Understanding “Someone Like Me†and “Sombre Detuneâ€
"Someone like me," is great. Are you saying the rest of the record is not good like this?
I don't believe it.
[1] I picked the best two songs. The rest of the album is so cliche it hurts to think about it.
Cliches are fun. Just ask Eiffel 65 or Lenny Kravitz.