Bright and early, isn't it?! In fact, being quite so early and not so bright, Röyksopp's latest offering 'Junior' seems the ideal record to give a spin to raise spirits. Half asleep yet fully inspired by the lush strings and synth waves bathing my ears I ought praise it publicly.Rewind eight years and Melody A.M was the broadcasting channel upon which headphones were hooked. Any signs of mellowing out with age for the Norwegian duo have been either been concealed or reinvigoration took them by the scruff of the neck- Junior is their most compelling listen yet. Retaining the down-tempo synths that made ears stop and turn at the beginning of the decade and injecting it with harder beats very much in the Justice/ Ed Banger sonic vein, opener Happy Up Here provides ample fireworks to transmit Jean Michel Jarre’s influential message. Junior is intoxicating, ecstatic electro at its peak that twists, turns and evolves with every spin. And as for the Norwegians’ chameleonic adaptability assigning the record an ambience where it’d be out of place seems nigh on implausible. Listen closely and even the crunch of a few guitar strings pricks the subconscious. Featuring apple of the alternative eye, Karin Dreijer Andersson (Fever Ray, The Knife), Lykke Li and borderline-androgynous heartthrob Robyn, the all-Scandinavian collaborations hike the record up and above the soaring, anthemic orchestration (Röyksopp Forever, You don’t have a clue) and chimaric washes of electronica into truly hallucinatory realms. A synthpop duo cowering behind mountains of Moogs this ain’t and whilst previous effort The Understanding revealed cracks in the formula Röyksopp are certainly back on the path towards immaculately versatile euphoria.
The duo headline a show at this month’s heavenly Ether Festival at the Royal Festival Hall, teaming up with the wondrously desolate Fever Ray for a festival highlight.
Röyksopp- Happy Up Here
Röyksopp- Tricky Tricky
