The Understanding

Takes the listener on an unmitigated aural journey through the outer reaches of electronic music.

A masterful submersion in the pop allure of ambient and house music. [#16, p.94]

An immersive experience that has unexpected turns and deep emotions at the core of every song. [#10, p.114]

Showcases vocals more boldly than Melody A.M. [Aug 2005, p.98]

This is the one that puts them firmly and officially up there in the top tier of the dance-music crossover-album crowd, up with the Daft Punks and, umm, Basement Jaxxes.

Even more melodious, lush and seductive than... Melody AM.

The pair's knack for excelling amid a range of styles and approaches is even more apparent on "The Understanding," which resists the temptation to overtly court the masses.

Certain artists’ albums sound like they’re effortless because they’re actually lacking in effort, but Röyksopp’s albums sound effortless because these guys are just that good at turning out great downtempo tunes.

The Understanding raises their game, mainly with its careful attention to one key musical detail: great tunes. [Aug 2005, p.132]

Gorgeous.

What they do best is produce exceptional electronica for people that don't have the patience for extended instrumental passages and require things like vocals on regular intervals. With that precursor, The Understanding is probably one of the better electronica records to come out this year that thankfully doesn't involve MCs from Def Jux or was composed on a laptop.

The Understanding is one of those bold sophomore efforts that will most likely split fans of the duo into two camps, with the Air/Boards of Canada downbeaters lamenting the new direction and the dance-oriented, Basement Jaxx set reveling in the unexpected vibrancy of Röyksopp’s present sound.

The first disc's bubbly, nuanced electronica has given way to capable club stompers, more aggressive beats, and, for that extra-accessible touch, a greater role for singers. [15 Jul 2005, p.70]

Much of the album bears more than a passing resemblance to the second half of [Daft Punk's] Discovery.

Perfect for a top-down ride to the beach. [Aug/Sep 2005, p.115]

Royksopp's shift to the fun side is exactly what its music needed. [#68, p.110]

Röyksopp have little left to say aside from what others have said more clearly in the past.

By turns frantic and tired, jittery and soothing.

Even in its migration from the groovy '70s to the technocratic '80s, though, Röyksopp has become a lot cooler than it has to be.

Even the best tracks bobble like a helium balloon tugging from a child's clenched fist... but not quite forcibly enough to pull free.

More conservative than 2001's Melody AM, with little of the twinkling, yodelling mania that distinguished them from their late-night-friendly peers. [Aug 2005, p.103]

The Understanding definitely shows the growth of a young group and the innovation that Röyksopp have been experimenting with since their 2004 debut, but they haven't yet reached the height of their potential.

The beat-programming is crystalline, the feeling is frozen, the soul is northern if it's there at all. [Sep 2005, p.136]

Where once these Norwegians were extolled for their subtle melodicism, here their schlock candidly attacks the jugular.

For the most part, "The Understanding" saunters along without a trace of urgency, which is unfortunate as Royksopp were always at their best when electronic ingenuity rather than pastel-shaded synth washes were holding things up.

The tactic [of increased vocals] hits and misses, as the album's standout tracks owe their success to the crew's innovative and polished production, not their lyrical prowess. [Jul/Aug 2005, p.104]

A greater focus on club anthems and straightforward songwriting broadens the band’s appeal but sacrifices originality in the process.

Bland and undistinguished. [Aug 2005, p.178]

There's nothing distinctive about it.