[holden]

(BUMP!...since this only came out in the US last week)

Well, having heard "The Understanding" for myself, gotta say it's a strong disc. If i'd never heard "Melody AM" and this was my first exposure to Royksopp, i'd be very impressed...the beats are tight, the vocals breathy and desperate, and it has an amazing atmosphere throughout...like you've had too much caffeine or are in between panic and peril. It's quite a grower, too...liking it more with each listen, and making less comparisons to the previous LP.

"Only this moment" is a beautiful single, and the empassioned wails of the very Bjork-like female vocalist are dramatic but not overdone.

"49 Percent" has such a cool glitchy beat to it...i've seen it compared to Underworld's "Pearl's Girl" and Prince, but it is neither...something that starts very cold and barren, and by the end is full of positivity and warmth. They've been playing a live version of this since at least 2001, also.

"Follow My Ruin" is pure funk, and t he early bars sound a LOT like "Face to Face" by Daft Punk.

"Alpha Male" is for me the highlight of the album...much harder than most everything else (excepting maybe "Royksopp's Night Out" from the last one).

i hope this one catches on as well as their first record, because they've definitely matured and this is by no means a disappointment, imho!