Album Review: Röyksopp - Junior

Röyksopp is a band seemingly determined in making your heart swell, head bop, and body groove like there's no tomorrow. Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge make up the Norwegian band, and they have already proven themselves as being more than capable at crafting some of the finest electronic music in years. Their debut album, Melody A.M., was arguably the best electronic work in over a decade. Fans of iconic artists in the genre, such as The Chemical Brothers, may disagree with that statement at least a tiny bit (and the Chemical Brothers are my single favorite band alive), but the statement holds real power and truth (a strong combination). No one knew what to expect when their debut landed. But land it did, and only to blow us away with its musical relevance and power.

Melody A.M. was transporting electronic music. Their follow up, The Understanding, was more upbeat, hip, and surprising than one may have thought possible yet it was equally as brilliant. Could the band do no wrong? Now that their third album release entitled "Junior" (with those quotation marks to boot) has arrived expectations are unsurprisingly high for what would be found this go around.

As it turns out, what we have here is nothing short of excellence. What some may find refreshing and interesting is that, like The Understanding, "Junior" once again mixes their sound in a way that it is fresh and unlike anything accomplished by the band already. There are obvious similarities in the music's style but on all three albums each has a distinctive quality that brings them to stand out. While every track on "Junior" was phenomenal my favorite song was Röyksopp Forever - an anthem to last them through the ages. This is easily the most danceable, happiest sounding record produced by them to date. It's full of vibrancy in it's adoration of life. If that sounds at all interesting to an electronic music fans ears then by all means indulge and discover this magnificent pair of genius musicians.

- Neil D. Lumbard

Happy up Here, the first single of the new album, is another winning classic and it can be viewed below. Enjoy!