ROYKSOPP New Album 'The Understanding'

NEW YORK (www.astralwerks.com) - After the inordinate success of their debut album, the electronic shot in the arm that was Melody A.M., Royksopp could have easily rested on their laurels, be content to shine their halos and just knocked out Melody A.M. part deux. Why just look at the riches that unfolded in the wake of that album's release in 2001: 1,000,000 copies sold worldwide, tours with Basement Jaxx and Moby, not to mention headline tours of their own and a Brit nomination for Best International Group. And it dosen't stop there! Melody A.M. won Best Video for "Remind Me" at the European MTV awards and was named one of the Best Records of the Year by Rolling Stone, GQ, and UK magazines Jockey Slut, DJ, 7 and Ministry; Best Electronica Album by Entertainment Weekly; and "Band To Watch" by SPIN.

Their follow-up to Melody A.M., The Understanding, once more easily defies categorization - it lurches from delicate widescreen cinerama to haunting house by way of boisterous electro bug outs - it is resolutely different to their first opus, but reassuringly the same in excellence. And whereas their curiosity on Melody A.M. took them from the producer's studio to the live arena, here their undeniable wanderlust has seen them assume the mantle of 21st Century electronic singer-songwriters.

"We needed to do something different," explains Svein. "Something that was new to us, hence the lyrical approach." Recorded in Bergen, Royksopp sing on much of their new album. There are also additional vocals from Chelonis R Jones from Get Physical Records ("49 Percent"), Karin Dreijer from The Knife ("What Else Is There?") and new vocalist Kate Havnevik ("Only This Moment" and "Circuit Breaker").