Royksopp has slowly but surely been staging their domination of the world. Starting small, with instantly lovable and recognizable tracks like "Poor Leno" and "Eple," then broadening out and tackling bigger musical concepts and arenas with "49 Percent" and "What Else Is There?," they have been making their mark on the world. Now it is time for Junior.
Royksopp Brings the Return of Intelligent Pop Music
Could Junior be the return of intelligent pop music? Royksopp's 2009 offering is one of the most entertaining electronic albums of the year so far, so it is very possible. From the minimalist, nostalgic sound of lead single "Happy Up Here" to the dark and driving electronica of "The Girl & The Robot," featuring Robyn, Junior is primed to take over in the pop world. Even on tracks like "This Must Be It" and "Tricky Tricky," which feature the ever-wonderful Kris Dreijer Andersson (of The Knife and "What Else Is There?") are catchy and fantastic gems of poptronica.
Pop Without a Gimmick
One aspect I always find to be lacking from the mainstream pop scene is class. Tracks can be kitschy (think "If U Seek Amy" or "I Kissed A Girl") and stick around long enough on pure novelty, or they can piggyback on a trend and get themselves popular that way, but most lack the sense of maturity and stature that artists like Royksopp tend to ooze in their music. These tracks don't need a gimmick, and they certainly don't sound like much else out there, yet they stand up on their own and demand attention. Even the slow, mellow tracks like "Royksopp Forever" and "Silver Cruiser" drag you in with the rising drama in the instrumentation, and those tracks don't even have vocals. And Royksopp's style is inherent in nearly everything, from the fat and chunky synths of "Vision One" to the mellow sprawl of "Miss It So Much" and even the uplifting bounce of "You Don't Have A Clue." "True to Life" and "It's What I Want" don't remind me of Royksopp, and I guess would be the exceptions to my rule all around. Neither are very "pop radio." Both are dark electronica, sort of off-kilter whether it be the odd beats of the former or the very chanty Fischerspooner sound of the latter.
Summary
Royksopp fans will eat this up, as will fans of Robyn or The Knife, but if you need more convincing, it's the perfect hipster electronic album. If you like Walter Meego or Fischerspooner, you should love this album.
Released March 2009 on Astralwerks Records.
