All things come to an end, it’s inevitable. But for a duo like Norway’s Royksopp whether this is the actual ‘Inevitable End’ for them remains open for debate.
But for the sake of argument let’s say this is their last record. And is it a good enough note to bow out on? Absof*ckinglutely.
A very dark, thick, rich note that sounds like it’s been bubbling below the surface ever since the group first formed in 1998. And that’s just the opening track ‘Skulls’. Put simply it sounds like a slick Kavinsky number on a downer, Benzodiazepines (Xanax, Valium) etc.
This record comes in at a whopping 1 hour and 23 minutes but not once does it ever feel like its over-staying its welcome. It feautres lots of guests, sometimes causing records to sound fractured, but The Inevitable End always feels like a Royksopp album. Nothing can take away from that, all these appearances do is add to it. Take Robyn for instance; excellent previously on their collaborative record ‘Do It Again’, on tracks ‘Monument’ and ‘Rong’ the powerhouses are just the ultimate Scandinavian dream-team.
Jamie Irrepressible and Susanne Sundfør offer their lungs to the majority of the other songs and the chemistry is instant. Take Irrepresible’s feature on ‘Here She Comes Again’, at mid-way point on the record this is the sound of the night after the after party the night before. A slow burner that is after-hour sadness personified. But every hangover/come-down needs a great party to precede it, and ‘Save Me’ featuring Sundfør is exactly that. The point where everything gets a bit hazy but for now it’s all good.
All the things Svein Berge, Torbjørn Brundtland and co have tried, are pulled of with spectacular results. The duo had said ‘The Inevitable End’ would explore darker subject matter and it has, flawlessly.
The Inevitable End is out now on Dog Triumph.
They’re Norwegian.
thanks Bob…