ALBUM REVIEW: Royksopp ‘The Inevitable End’

Rating:

Royksopp are one of those groups, like Moby, who suffer from only being known really for one album, despite creating many other albums of the same quality. For Royksopp that album 2001’s Melody AM, and for Moby that album is Play. Both bands’ new creative efforts are compared to these albums, and although the new material is of a very high standard people often say of Royksopp, “It’s not like Melody AM though.”

This sentiment is unfortunately present with their latest album. The Inevitable End is Roykopp’s fifth, and final, album before they start to release music through other formats. The album starts promisingly with tracks such as ‘Skulls’ and ‘Monument’ before moving onto a reworked version of ‘Do It Again’. The start to this album brings a more rougher and bass heavy sound than we are used to with Royksopp.

Unfortunately though the album becomes a bit stagnant after this. The pace is slowed to an almost James Blake level and it really drags the album down for me. To go from such an energetic and jump up pace at the start to this doesn’t benefit the album at all. There is a constant jerk between a slow pace and dancefloor speed which doesn’t link up well. It makes the album very of key and separated, almost like they have placed two separate albums on shuffle.

They seem to be trying a new style of sound, which I commend, but it isn’t fully working for them. They seemingly have travelled as far as possible from their original sound but this is the wrong direction. There are some lovely songs on this album don’t get me wrong but there are too many tracks present as well. Perhaps Royksopp freeing themselves from the formatting of albums will allow them to focus on some of the more positive sounds they had on this album. Either way, this is not the best way for them to bow out of the album life. Unfortunately I have to say this is quite a disappointing album from a band I have loved for over ten years.

Oliver Hope

Oliver Hope
Oliver. Twenty Two year old gigaholic. Currently living in Manchester. Master's qualified journalist.
Oliver Hope

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