Röyksopp - Junior (review)

Apparently røyksopp means smoke mushroom in Norwegian, and if that's true, then it's the perfect name for these two DJs. Their latest album, Junior, lends a tone that one may only otherwise experience in a small cloudy atmosphere while high on... something. Maybe it's me; I just need time to appreciate the peculiarities of modern Scandinavian music.

It's a great ride, though. Junior is simple and delicate in parts but has an underlying strength that holds it together. There's a dichotomy in mood, too: "Happy Up Here", the first single, is a cute start to the album - it's very playful - but it's contrasted by the following lament, "The Girl and The Robot". This pattern continues throughout the album, episodes of mania intertwined with pangs of meloncholy.

This isn't a bad thing. Röyksopp have successfully struck a balance between their trip-hop roots and the dance beats that audiences devour these days. It's not all business sense - it's just good sense. For all its quirks, it's a damned good album to listen to. These are the times I wish I was more experienced in electronic music, because I can't quite pin down how this album works so well. I mean, it's got incredibly simple melodies, more synths than should be legal, and some of the most nondescript beats I've ever heard. Perhaps the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. (Let's face it, most of us here in the US didn't start listening to Röyksopp until we heard a song in a car insurance commercial about cavemen. It's not like we set our standards really high.)

Junior definitely isn't an album to get the party hoppin', but I could see "True to Life" and the powerful "It's What I Want" sneaking into some DJs' sets, along with the obligatory "The Girl and The Robot." I could see a remix of the catchy "Tricky Tricky" making it in there as well.

All in all, it's a compromise album that doesn't compromise itself. Junior lacks the degree of sensuality, perhaps even sexuality, that would make it much stronger in the club circuit and especially the American market. But it's so unique in that respect that it doesn't even try to pretend it's something it's not. Röyksopp has been comfortable holding their own niche for a while now and instead of trying to expand beyond it to reach out to new listeners, they're finding new ways to attract audiences to come to them. It's a smart gamble and it's paid off.