One record at a time: 388. Röyksopp - Junior

At one time Röyksopp's music was seemingly omnipresent. Everywhere I went in 2009 I heard the single "Happy Up Here" and it burrowed it's way into my brain until my purchase of  "Junior" became inevitable. I went on to buy this double LP when it was repressed in 2014 and, as with all Röyksopp vinyl, it sounds very good indeed.

I have become so accustomed to the jaunty tones of "Happy Up Here" serving as an introduction to the album that the brooding tones of "Röyksopp Forever" come as a surprise when listening to the vinyl. However, make no mistake this is one of the best tracks on this album and it never fails to impress me with its superb string arrangement and laconic bass.

There some great vocal tracks on this record with the single "The Girl and the Robot" and "True to Life" being my favourites. I'm not a fan of "Miss It So Much" and the terrible lyrics on "Tricky Tricky" ruin the song. So whilst here are many great tracks on this album, it isn't as consistent as its two predecessors and I do not enjoy it quite as much as a result. 3/5

P.S. It has been brought to my attention that I am wasting time writing the band name with an umlaut as this mark isn't used in the Norwegian language. So I will state that I am just trying to follow the same convention established by the band and am aware this is just an aesthetic choice.

One record at a time: 387. Röyksopp - The Understanding

Having enjoyed their debut it was inevitable that I would buy Röyksopp's second album "The Understanding". As usual I originally purchased the compact disc back in 2005 and this double LP came along much later in 2014. Like "Melody A.M.", this vinyl mirrors the original pressing as it has a different running order to the CD. As this vinyl was made by Optimal Media it sounds pretty much flawless, but I would have liked just a little more bass to make it perfect.

Things kick off with the magnificent "Only This Moment" in which we hear Svein and Torbjørn singing for the first time. There are lots of indicators the band began to feel more confident on this record, but the presence of their vocals is probably the biggest signal. The atmospheric "49 percent" follows soon after with brilliant vocals and lyrics provided by Chelonis R. Jones. The first side of the first record rounds out perfectly with "Beautiful Day Without You" which provides some excellent downtempo vibes to compliment the more frenetic sounds that preceded it.

Elsewhere we hear "What Else Is There?" in which Swedish vocalist Karin Dreijer sings some slightly strange lyrics over a brilliant synth-pop backing track. Hearing "Triumphant" on the final side is a little strange when you are accustomed to it opening the CD, but the music is so good it doesn't spoil the experience. And if "Alpha Male" isn't one of the best slices of electronic music ever created then I will eat my hat. 4/5

One record at a time: 386. Röyksopp - Melody A.M.

Sometime in the early two thousands I had become aware of a group called Röyksopp as one of their songs was featured on a TV advertisement. When a friend played me another of their tracks called "Eple" I decided to buy their debut album "Melody A.M.". 

However, I had a very had time finding the compact disc in the shops and ended up having to buy a costly import. Thankfully I liked the album enough to justify the expense and became an admirer of the band. 

Fast forward twenty years and the band's official website announced the album would be re-released as a numbered "20 year anniversary edition" - I ordered it immediately. This album is split across two slabs of vinyl and features nine tracks. The compact disc actually contained ten tracks but "40 years back / Come" is omitted and the running order has been changed. However, all of these differences are carried over from the original 2001 pressing, so you could argue this record is offering an authentic experience. The vinyl itself is quiet and sounds very good indeed (I didn't need to check the credits to know it was pressed by Optimal Media).

"So Easy" and "Eple" will be well known to anyone who had a pair of working ears and lived between the years 2000 and 2005 as they seemed to be heard everywhere. Personally I think "Röyksopp's Night Out" is a masterpiece that offers wonderful complexity and intricacy whilst remaining accessible. Another favourite of mine is "Poor Leno" which features Erlend Øye on vocals. When I went to see Röyksopp live it was this song that blew the roof off the venue and got every single person in the room dancing. There aren't many albums that have stood the test of time as well as this one - it sounds like it was created yesterday. 4/5

P.S. Also of interest is the promo LP which had hand printed artwork by the then relatively unknown street artist Banksy. There are only 100 of them and they seem to command rather silly prices on the second hand market. Still, Discogs says only 80 people have said they own one - so if you happen to have a copy in your attic do drop me a line.

One record at a time: 385. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Watchmen: Vol. 03 (Music From The HBO Series)

Volume 3 of Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross's soundtrack to the TV series "Watchmen" is a much more "ambient" and minimalistic than the first two instalments. In fact this music here is so spartan that I have read of people playing the record at the wrong speed without realising it.

This album has none of the raucous or heavily synth driven pieces found on the first two volumes, but cues like "The Waiting Sky" or "A Stronger, Loving World" are still mildly entertaining. 

This album is probably intended to be given your full attention and experienced as a continuos flow of music. However, I can think of better things to do with 45 minutes than listening to a drone. In all honesty, I can't see me playing this record again anytime soon.  

The real genius of this record is the artwork that credits it to "The Nine Inch Nails" with the fictional title "The Manhattan Project". The record itself is a very nice pressing and, unlike many others, mine has no issues on playback. 1/5

One record at a time: 384. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Watchmen: Vol. 02 (Music From The HBO Series)

The second volume of music from the soundtrack to the TV series "Watchmen" was issued in a sleeve masquerading as the soundtrack to a fictitious show called "American Hero Story: Minutemen".

The real credits found online tell us most of the cues were created by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross with two traditional jazz tracks by John Beasley. My copy plays very well and includes a facsimile newspaper clipping that was included in some pressings.

As far as the music goes it is more of the same really. Standout tracks are "Squid Pro Quo" which begins as an atmospheric drone before launching into a powerful analogue sequence. "Seven Years of Bad Luck" and "He Was Never There" are also very interesting to hear and the creepy "Kicked in the Balls Again" never fails to affect. 

The afore mentioned John Beasley contributions are traditional jazz recordings that fit within the context of the programme, but are of absolutely no interest to me. So whilst this isn't quite as good as the first volume it is still very interesting to hear. 2.5/5

One record at a time: 383. Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - Watchmen: Vol. 01 (Music From The HBO Series)

When I first saw the film "Watchmen" in 2009 I was totally mystified by it. I'm not a comic book fan and I had absolutely no knowledge of the lore required to fully enjoy the film. Clearly this wasn't the sort of show for me.

Yet, ten years later I decided to watch a new TV series based on the same characters. This time around I enjoyed things much more and I'm sure that this was due, in part, to the fantastic music by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross of the band Nine Inch Nails.

Here we have the first volume of the soundtrack that features artwork for a fictional album called "The Book of Rorschach" by the equally fictional band Sons Of Pale Horse. Whilst I have no doubt this fake sleeve approach was artistically satisfying (and nothing I have seen before) it is a bit annoying as you have to look online to see what any of these tracks are actually called.

When I received this album it was quite badly scratched and had all kinds of clicks and pops straight from the manufacturer. After a little resistance the band's official UK webshop sent me a replacement that wasn't scratched, bit it doesn't play quite as flawlessly as I expected either.

The first few opening tracks of this album are atmospheric wonders that set the scene for both the TV series and this record. I can't imagine sitting down and coming up with something as good as the fourth track "Nun With A Motherfucking Gun" and not having the biggest smile on my face. The analogue synths, rapid percussion and throbbing bass combine perfectly on what is one of the highlights of all three volumes of the soundtrack.

Cues like "Kattle Battle" and "I'll Wait" sound like they have been lifted straight from a Nine Inch Nails album and it is clear that Reznor and Ross put just as much effort into their soundtracks as they do for their other work. Another highlight is "The Brick" which somehow manages to sound new and innovative but clearly carries the distinctive DNA of the composers. The music here is much more electronic than more recent Nine Inch Nails releases and I prefer it as a result. 4/5

One record at a time: 382. RAH Band - Mystery

For many years I worked in environments where people would leave a radio playing all day. The majority of the time this meant I had to endure whatever ephemeral pap was in the charts, but now and again I did discover something exciting via the airwaves.

One such occasion when Ken Bruce played the full 6'45'' album version of "Clouds Across the Moon" by RAH Band on BBC Radio 2.

As soon as the song began I was intrigued by both the lyrics and the vocalist. There was a very tongue in cheek operator talking about valuable deep space communications and some plastic horns that thrilled and appalled me in equal measure. I also thought I could hear a TR-909 drum machine mixed in with the Simmons toms and lush orchestral arrangement. 

Whilst I found this heady brew quite hard to place, I knew I wanted to hear it again. Once at home I researched the song and was genuinely surprised to find it dated back to 1985. Why hadn't I heard this record until 2006? I quickly downloaded an mp3 file of the song and enjoyed it very much.

Fast forward to 2019 and I came across this copy of "Mystery" whilst perusing through my regular second hand vinyl store. When I noticed the opening track was "Clouds Across the Moon" I decided to pay the £8 asking price and finally delve further into the world of RAH Band (I'm still not sure if the band name uses the definitive article or not, but as it's not on this release I will omit it). 

Whilst the vinyl I own is in fair condition, someone has written the duration and writing credit for each track on the back of the sleeve. Each time I look at the defaced cover I take comfort in the knowledge that the culprit probably served jail time for such offences.

RAH band are the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and all round clever clogs Richard Hewson. All of the songs on this disc are written by Hewson and sung by his wife of the time Liz. Whist "Clouds Across the Moon" is their commercial peak they are from being a one hit wonder. Hewson is clearly a very talented musician and his jazz-funk influences result in a rather unique take on eighties synth pop.

After the brilliant opening track we hear "Night Wind" which you will be pleased to hear isn't about nocturnal flatulence but is actually seven and a half minutes of funky disco. Yes it sounds a bit chintzy to modern ears and would benefit from an edit to reduce the run time, but you can tell the composer knows what he is doing.

"Sorry Doesn't Make It Anymore" has an amazing string arrangement but like many songs on here it sounds little too stuck in the seventies. "Out on the Edge" and "Float" are highly competent funk instrumentals but the incessant saxophone solos can be tiresome. "Mystery Boy" and "Are you satisfied?" move more closely to a pop sound but the saxophones and funk guitars are never far away.

The only song that really comes close to matching the opening track is "Shadow of your Love" which deserves much wider appreciation. The superb synth work on this track is complimented perfectly by Liz's backing vocals and I almost get a sense of 'the Minneapolis sound' emerging from the speakers. 

The slightly kitsch nature of the music on this album means it will always be something of a guilty pleasure; but if you're in the mood for something from the eighties that is slightly off the beaten track then you can do a lot worse than investigating RAH band. 3/5