User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 46 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 46
  2. Negative: 3 out of 46

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  1. AngieM
    Aug 3, 2005
    6
    I have heard better... You get this GarageBand finish idea on a few songs, it seems as though they did not go too deep into things. They shouldn't be that scared to go further. Otherwise one or two good things. I miss the freshness of Melody A.M.
  2. zega
    Aug 9, 2005
    4
    Amazingly bland. Didn't know Vangelis had so much influence on Royksopp. loved "A.M.", but this CD just doesn't cut it. lotsa sheen but few memorable hooks, and some exceedingly cliched lyrics. (The music reviewers who rated it 80+, like those ice-skating judges, must be judging this CD more on past performance than current, out of laziness or deadline commitments.)
  3. Mike
    Jan 25, 2006
    5
    Not as good as Melody AM and has some horribly cheesy songs on here. Great production and is more experimental than their last effort but hasn't paid off.
  4. Yrk
    Jul 19, 2005
    6
    Good when the mood hits me. Slightly above average, but not by much. A handful of really great tunes, but a handful of really bad ones as well. It's a grower. Some tracks have attached themselves to me after repeat listens, but most are forgettable. Okay.
Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 31 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 31
  2. Negative: 0 out of 31
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. Röyksopp have little left to say aside from what others have said more clearly in the past.