Röyksopp – Profound Mysteries III (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/44,1 kHz | Time – 01:00:38 minutes | 567 MB | Genre: Electronic
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Dog Triumph
On the eve of release of Profound Mysteries II electronic pop music superstars Röyksopp announce the concluding third part to their extraordinary Profound Mysteries Project. Profound Mysteries III will bring the acclaimed series to a climax, having worked with a cast of global visual and musical collaborators to create an incredible 30 tracks, 30 artefacts, 30 visualisers and 30 films that have been revealed throughout the year.By most metrics, Röyksopp’s Profound Mysteries project is everything longtime fans could want: sleek Nordic synth pop, a grand return to the album format, and collaborations with left-field mavericks like Alison Goldfrapp, Jamie Irrepressible, Susanne Sundfør, and Astrid S, among others. Launched in April 2022, the Norwegian electronic duo’s first proper album in eight years arrived as a highly conceptualized world of off-putting visual “artifacts” (each song is paired with its own digital music-visualizer), short films, cinematic instrumentals, and lush downtempo pop songs fronted by a highly curated cast of vocalists. A second volume followed in August, revealing a similar, though slightly altered, guest list, and the project now concludes with November’s Profound Mysteries III. For those counting, that’s 30 new tracks, 30 artifacts, and 30 films. Since their debut around the turn of the millennium, Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland have consistently produced at the top of their game, but even by their own standards, 2022 saw an absolute deluge of new content. Like its two predecessors, this third set dances between light and darkness, exploring the parameters of Röyksopp’s hallmark sound on highlights like the glacial, string-laden “So Ambiguous,” with its very understated vocal from Irrepressible, and the menacing, nearly 10-minute instrumental centerpiece “Speed King.” At its peak, the latter track feels like an Antarctic rave or the soundtrack to a high-speed snowmobile chase, proving that Berge and Brundtland can still bring the thunder to the dancefloor. Both Sundfør and Goldfrapp are back, though their unique talents feel a bit wasted on their respective cuts, “Stay Awhile” and “The Night,” two underwhelming tracks that feel like paler sequels to their earlier contributions. Detroit’s Maurissa Rose adds a rare bit of American flair to Röyksopp’s overwhelmingly European palette on “Feel It,” and Londoner Pixx helps end the project on a high note with the dynamic “Like an Old Dog.” Standouts aside, Profound Mysteries III feels like the weakest link in this ambitious, year-long project which, while exciting to behold, probably could have been condensed into a one exceptional album. – Timothy Monger
Tracklist:
01. Röyksopp – So Ambiguous (06:06)
02. Röyksopp – Me&Youphoria (04:40)
03. Röyksopp – Stay Awhile (06:11)
04. Röyksopp – The Night (07:38)
05. Röyksopp – Lights Out (05:28)
06. Röyksopp – Speed King (09:53)
07. Röyksopp – The Next Day (04:16)
08. Röyksopp – Just Wanted To Know (04:13)
09. Röyksopp – Feel It (08:14)
10. Röyksopp – Like An Old Dog (03:55)
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