The Understanding

Melody A.M.	What Else Is There? Title track is backed by the Jacques Lu Cont Radio Mix, 'Alpha Male' (Live) and the video for 'What Else Is There?'. Wall Of Sound. 2005.	Angel Milk If there were an award for the album with the most appropriate title, surely Telepopmusik's Angel Milk would be a top contender (possibly pipped to the top slot by Metal Machine Music. But this record is miles away from Lou Reed's deliberate atonal noise, and would therefore win ...	Genetic World Features Cuts by Gonzales, Peaches, Soda Pop and More.	Melody A.M. Arguably one of the best releases of 2002 and unquestionably one of the most original, the filmic, dreamy and mostly instrumental Melody A.M.--from Norwegian duo Svein Berge and Torbjorn Brundtland, or Röyksopp--finds uncommon beauty in the study of contrasts. At once frosty and...
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It's like robots at the disco
Saturday Night Fever's John Travolta is suddenly transported through time into the future, where by a freak coincidence he fuses with Moby. Royksopp, named after the sound made when the two fused together, is like the Coors Light train roaring through town: chill, funky, and refreshing.

Not as good as Melody AM
I was so happy with "Melody AM" that I also bought "the Understanding." Too bad. Melody AM is so much better than the Understanding that the CDs sound like they were made by different groups altogether. This CD just did not have any life to it. Kind of blah.

What Else is There?
Melody AM was no doubt one of the best albums of 2002 period. It was an amazing peice of electronic music that went beyond the confines of the genre. It was moody, melodic, and haunting... So, with a masterpeice like Melody AM, where can you go? Actually, if Roysopp had rested on their laurels and made a Melody AM pt. 2, it would have been better than this contrived peice of electronic dance music. There is absolutely no substance, it is all fluff. The beats all sound the same, and they sound like just about anything you would hear on a standard dance album. It is closer to synth pop than electronica or downbeat music... It is very disapointing. Out of the 12 tracks, the only ones I really remember is the first track "Triumphant" and the seventh track "What Else is There?" The latter being the only truly memorable song on the disc, and largely in part to the haunting vocals provided by Knife's lead singer Karin Andersson. Her voice is similar to Bjork's styalistically, and adds a very somber and almost mystical tone to the song. This song is no doubt on par with Meldoy AM, but everything else here is so sub-par it makes you wonder if Royksopp can make it back up to the same quality that they once had. God Bless ~Amy

batting a thousand so far...
I guess I must be batting a thousand right now. It seems that every CD I buy I can't put it down, and this one is no different. I heard "Melody A.M." and I thought it was okay. But after hearing "The Understanding" I realized that we (Royksopp & myself) did in fact have an understanding. They keep making music that I enjoy listening to and I'll keep buying it. Though there are a few songs that I don't jump up and down for (true of all music) this CD is very pleasant to listen to, at home, in the car, or from my LG Voyager phone. I love "Only This Moment", Sombre Detune" and "Follow My Ruin". But my two absolute favorites are "Beautiful Day Without You" and "Someone Like Me" whose lyrics remind me of why I'm still insanely in love with my wife. What are the odds?

Not Melody A.M., but understand it I did!
I'll keep this short, and give a track-by-track later: The moment I first heard Melody A.M. all the way thru, I cried sweet tears of bliss. Now, album 2 is no Melody, but either way, it rocks my socks. One play of "Follow My Ruin" will wow you. It wowed my English class. ;) So don't knock this album. You'll groove to it, and that's a given.