Röyksopp & Robyn get eerie on their 'Monument' music video

Following the releases of "Do It Again" and "Sayit", Röyksopp & Robyn have released a third single taken from their collaborative EP Do It Again (a review can be found here). The single in question is the incredible opening track "Monument", and a music video was shot as well. Directed by previous Robyn collaborator Max Vitali, the nearly seven-minute clip is a futuristic, surreal visual adaptation of the gloominess of the song, seamlessly matching its stylistic minimalism. It features the trio lying on a glowing white platform with two dancers performing an eerie routine, floating in space and finally being overshadowed by a giant upside-down pyramid. Rather than narrating a story, the music video seeks to convey an emotion and, in my opinion, does it quite stunningly. Check it out below:

Here's the powerful music video for Röyksopp & Robyn's 'Do It Again'

Röyksopp & Robyn's bittersweet party anthem "Do It Again", taken from their new EP of the same name (here's a review!), now has a music video to it. Rather than serving as a literal visual interpretation of the song lyrics, the intense clip embraces the chaos and destruction of the more metaphoric sense of the lyrical content. Said Robyn: "This is a song that needs visuals to balance the hysteria, the manic energy". And boy, do they deliver. There's no straightforward explanation regarding the narrative, but it seems to deal with a range of gloomy themes such as desperation, violence, and loss. Not necessarily quite what you'd anticipate from the music video of the most dance floor friendly number of their latest record but that's Röyksopp & Robyn for ya - expect the unexpected. Check out the amazing, if a bit depressing video below:





(And for a live performance of "Do It Again" and another of their newer songs, "Monument", head over here!)

Watch Röyksopp & Robyn's performances on Jimmy Kimmel Live

Röyksopp & Robyn have been touring Europe and the States with a series of gigs to promote their collaborative 'mini-album' Do It Again (for a review, head over here), and one of their appearances was on Jimmy Kimmel Live. Two live recordings from that show have since made their way to Youtube; these songs include the title track "Do It Again" and the fantastic opening number "Monument". Check out the performances below - mullets, platform shoes and Scandinavian synths galore!









While the high-energetic dance anthem "Do It Again" gets the crowd going (obviously), the same can't be said about "Monument", which is a shame as in my opinion, it's the best track from the EP (along with "Do It Again"). The eight-minute rendition of the ethereal synthpop number just doesn't seem to translate  well live. Well, I guess that's the case with most atmospheric compositions - they're not even meant to get the people jumping up and down in a state of uncontrollable euphoria. Still, it's a captivating clip so you should definitely watch it. Also, take a look at how ruthlessly the mic stand has its fifteen minutes of fame stolen by an overenthusiastic roadie at 3:06. Poor little thing.

Review: 'Do It Again' EP by Röyksopp & Robyn

After Röyksopp and Robyn announced that they'd be touring together and recording new material, I could imagine hordes of fans of quality pop music went absolutely bonkers. I for one did. The duo had collaborated twice before, with amazing results: both "The Girl and the Robot" and "None of Dem" were brilliant slices of glacial, bewitching Scandinavian pop. Expectations were building up.

Only to be further stirred by the lead single (and title track of the EP) "Do It Again" that premiered two months ago. It's every bit as anthemic as you'd expect from a collaboration between these two, with a simple but driving beat and accessible sing-along lyrics. And the bridge amps up the song on yet another level. While an infectious dance floor filler, there's actually some definite darkness to it - the lyrics describe an unhealthy relationship which the storyteller finds herself unable to resist and is helplessly drawn to, like a moth to a flame: "Don't care what they say, it hurts so good / I don't wanna stop, I know I should / But let's do it again, one more time".

Now the Röyksopp & Robyn EP is up for listening as well!

What a day for EP news, eh? First Róisín Murphy's Mi Senti surfaces on Soundcloud in its entirety, and now Röyksopp & Robyn's collaborative EP Do It Again makes an appearance on Spotify. How brilliant is that?

I'll let the music do the talking this time so without further ado, here it is!

Röyksopp & Robyn share new music video for "Sayit"

Röyksopp and Robyn's collaborative EP Do It Again will be out in less than a week (the release date is May 26) and here's another song from the record, this one's called "Sayit". The glitchy, pulsating track is accompanied by a bizarre music video that mostly resembles a nightmare of a crystal meth addict - in a good way, I suppose. It's an odd track, barely even featuring Robyn's vocals, apart from the occasional monotonous chanting of the words "I. Want. You." so I hope there's more balance between the two artists on the other songs. It's quite creepy overall, in a strangely fascinating way though. It's not as infectious as "Do It Again" and the magical one-and-a-half minute snippet of "Monument" sounds infinitely better than this but it's still an interesting listen. The EP is shaping out to be a delightfully complex, almost kaleidoscopic take on cold and distorted Scandinavian melancholy, set to an electronic, synth-laden backdrop.

Here's also the lyric video for "Do It Again"...





...and here's the teaser for "Monument":





And don't forget, Röyksopp & Robyn are about to embark on a tour in Europe and North America so head over to their website to check out if they're coming anywhere near you!

Röyksopp & Robyn's new single 'Do It Again' premiered on BBC Radio 1

Röyksopp and Robyn previously announced a joint tour, then a collaborative EP (or a "mini album") titled Do It Again, and now the first song from the record has surfaced! The lead single "Do It Again" (that shares its name with the EP) premiered yesterday on the Annie Mac show on BBC Radio 1 and while currently available for pre-orders, it will be officially released on Monday, along with a lyric video. If you're a fan of their previous work (whether together or separately), or if you're just into some quality Scandinavian electropop, you certainly are in for a treat. Check it out below!

Ah yes. Quite good, isn't it? And in case you missed it, they've also released a one-and-a-half minute snippet of another song called "Monument":





It's going to be an excellent EP for sure, judging by these clips. Oh, and in addition, there were two other songs briefly available for listening but they were taken down due to unknown reasons. That's the internet for ya.

The full tracklist is as follows:
"Monument"
"Sayit"
"Do It Again"
"Every Little Thing"
"Inside The Idle Hour Club"


EDIT: ...aaand here's the lyric video, enjoy!

A lot has happened in music lately

As you might or might have not noticed, I've been absent from the blogosphere for a week or so and phew, there's been all sorts of things going on! Here are some of my picks:

Arguably the biggest scoop is Nirvana's unexpected (or expected, depending on how you see it) onstage comeback. The iconic grunge group was inducted to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in their first year of eligibility (there has to be at least 25 years from the inductee's debut single; Nirvana's "Love Buzz" came out in 1988). The remaining members of the band then performed a handful of their songs with female singers, with Joan Jett, Kim Gordon (of Sonic Youth), St. Vincent and Lorde singing "Smells Like Teen Spirit", "Aneurysm", "Lithium" and "All Apologies", respectively. The group also asked PJ Harvey to join them to sing "Milk It" but unfortunately, she couldn't make it. Check out the performances below:

















Hopefully the performances were also recorded officially so that we wouldn't have to rely on clips recorded with mobile phones.


So that's there. Then to other news:

Robyn and Röyksopp announce a joint tour, work on new material

HOLY. MOTHER. OF. GOD.

The Swedish queen of 21st century electropop Robyn and the Norwegian electronic music wizards Röyksopp are going to embark on a tour. Together. Yes. And no, that's not all - they're even working on new music together, as confirmed by Robin on her Twitter account:

Okay, how marvellous is that. Only three concert dates have been revealed so far - they're playing the Northside Festival in Aarhus, Denmark; the Latitude Festival in Suffolk, UK and the Øyafestivalen in Oslo, Norway - but there's more dates to be announced. I'm so hyped up already: I've seen both artists perform the anthemic "The Girl And The Robot" live but now there is a possibility to actually see them share the stage during the song? Also, it's been quite a while since we've heard anything of Robyn so it's great to get her back. And it seems that Robyn + Röyksopp is a match made in heaven - just listen to their previous collaborations "The Girl And The Robot" and "None Of Dem". They're cordially invited to blow my mind with new stuff anytime.

And this is how incredible the three sound live. Brace yourselves!