Röyksopp
The Inevitable End
10 November 2014
Dog Triumph
3 stars out of 5
Though they are no longer the coolest musical act from north
of the Arctic Circle (and are most unlikely to
shout, “Fuck PETA!” on television), Trømso’s electronica act Röyksopp still
hold a special place in our post-Bel Canto world. After all, these are the guys
who gave us one of the last decade’s greatest songs in “What Else Is There?” and
that still counts for something. The Norwegian duo has announced that The Inevitable End will be their last
studio album, and, to be perfectly honest, it’s a somewhat disappointing way to
end things.
If you checked out Röyksopp’s EP-length collaboration with
Robyn, Do It Again, then you’ve
already heard a version of “Monument,” the second track on the new album. And “Running
to the Sea,” featuring Susanne Sundfør on vocals, has been around for a couple
of years now. These are the strongest tracks here, and it’s not a gentle slope
downhill afterwards, like a sun-filled meadow full of poppies and puppies that
ends at a beautiful alpine lake. No, this is like losing your footing at the
top of the Preikestolen and dropping 600 metres to your death. The only
exception is the other Sundfør-sung track, “Save Me,” which musically sounds like
a Canadian industrial song from the late ‘80s, with female pop vocals in place
of Nivek Ogre’s unearthly screeching, of course. Perhaps it’s for the best that
Röyksopp will no longer be making full-length albums after The Inevitable End if they can only keep the creativity going for
two or three tracks at a time these days.
reviewed by Richard Krueger
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