Carl Sandburg Visits Me In A Dream

Based on what I’ve seen, Tromso, Norway is a lovely and pleasant place. But if I were to hazard a guess as to what it looked like based on hometown act Royksopp’s music, I’d have to say it was an icy wonderland resembling the hideout of one Superman. Perhaps it’s time we look beyond the novelty of this insanely talented electronic duo being from Scandinavia and focus on the actual creativity and musical genius within the minds of Torbjorn Brundtland and Svein Berge.

But first things first. If you’re wondering how to pronounce Royksopp in their native Norsk (it’s actually just how it is spelled), then take care of that.

Now that that’s settled, it’s time to move on to talk about Royksopp’s new LP Junior. In what has become tradition for the duo, several female vocalists have been employed on Junior, including Robyn, Karen Dreijer (of The Knife), Lykke Li, and Anneli Drecker (which in itself is quite an accomplishment)!

Junior shows hints of the unabashed optimism and energy of The Understanding, while also recalling some of the more subtle and reserved nature of the tracks on their debut Melody AM.  No matter what the approach though, the focus for Royksopp is always in creating captivating rhythms that consist of multiple layers that need to be gradually pulled away with each listen. It’s not that familiarity makes Royksopp’s music more pleasing, just that it takes time to fully appreciate the craftsmanship that goes into this music. Though not instantaneously gratifying, subsequent listens reveal an endearing and affable quality to the music. “Royksopp Forever” is a slow-rolling track that bursts into an electronic symphony of arcing and tense strings. Lykke Li’s vocals on “Miss It So Much” seem out-of-place at first, but soon fits like a tight jigsaw with the incredibly catchy chorus of “Days turn to nights turn to weeks turn to paper into rocks into plastic / My material heart / How it keeps us apart”.

Karen Dreijer’s stylings on “Tricky Tricky” and “This Must Be It” are unmistakable, as her distinct expressive voice echoes over frantic beats. The downtempo “You Don’t Have a Clue” harkens back to Melody AM, trip-hoppy in its sentimental nighttime jumps and leaps. The syncopated backbeat on “It’s What I Want” carries promise, but redundant melodies make for a missed opportunity. But then again, Royksopp more than makes up for it with a splendid album.

And there’s more to come! Late 2009 will see another album from the Norwegian duo, an LP Senior that is supposed to be more downtempo and solemn in nature.

Check out Junior.

Listen to “Royksopp Forever”

Listen to “Miss It So Much“