EarGASM 101: Royksopp “What Else Is There”
ABOUT: Röyksopp is Torbjorn Brundtland and Svein Berge, a dynamic electronica duo from Tromso, Norway. The Norwegian translation for “røyksopp” translates literally as “smoke mushroom”. The track “What Else Is There?” was released on their second album “The Understanding” which sells both as a 12 track album and as a two disk 17 track Deluxe edition released in 2005. Karin Dreijer Andersson ( from the electronica Swedish group The Knife) lends her vocals on the track. “What Else Is There?” feels like a haunting combination of Hall N Oats meets Danny Elfman meets trip hop with Spanish guitar – it has a rolling credits cinematic quality. Karen’s epic vocals remind me of a harmonious synergy of Bjork and Cindy Lauper. The The song was used in the film Cashback in 2006 and in 2008 it was featured on an O2 television advert in both the Czech Republic and Slovak Republic and it appeared again in the film Meet Bill. I have been following Royksopp since 2001, but North Americans would know about them because their hit song “Remind Me” was part of a highly successful Geico Caveman TV campaign in 2006.
SIGNIFICANCE: Tailgating on the success of the “Remind Me” track “What Else Is There?” has entered the mainstream commercial consciousness. I would like to echo that commercial appeal does not translate to success, but it does bring to the forefront a highly dynamic group that can seamlessly serve both mainstream and underground heads alike.
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Tags: EarGASM 101, Electronica, Music, Trip Hop
EarGASM 101, Music | bendrix | 
December 26, 2008 8:50 pm
