Röyksopp - The Understanding (Take 2)

"Beautiful Day Without You" marks the halfway point of the album with a verbal middle finger that belies the content of the lyrics by its very existence. The pattern that appears, for all its delicate construction, is not a pretty one, even, and perhaps especially when voiced by Karin Dreijer on "What Else Is There?," on which she shares songwriting duties. Then there's "Circuit Breaker," an ode to the strange current that flows between the poles of adoration and addiction, a junkie's anthem if there ever was one. The album's third instrumental, "Alpha Male," starts off like vintage Tangerine Dream but quickly steps up the tempo to become a driving Oakenfold-esque rocker that's just begging for some remix treatment. There's finally a ray of sunshine on "Someone Like Me," all about the good fortune of finding someone that curves in where you curve out, but once again the final line "come on, let's share this moment" leaves the future firmly in doubt.

The coda of the final couplet in "Dead To The World" serves to neatly sum up everything that's gone before "i don't move but i keep on moving/ i'm only with you." And finally, we end where we began, with the instrumental "Triestesse Globale," a classical beauty that's over almost before it begins, barely giving us time for reflection on what we've learned: Sometimes, the only understanding is acceptance of its absence.