The Understanding
In 2002, the Norwegian duo of Svein Berge and Torbjorn Brundtland found a sweet spot between wispyMoon Safari-style pop andBoards of Canada-like atmospherics on the widely-admiredMelody A.M.The Understandingsounds relatively absent-minded, careening around the room like a panicky fly. Some of it works well; the bouncy "Only This Moment" resemblesFischerspoonerat their silliest (and thus, most fun), while "49 Percent" gets a huge lift from a New Jack vocal courtesy of Chelonis R. Jones. But the record is too often thwarted by syrupy synth-pop ("Follow My Ruin") as well as the lack of shifty downtempo rhythms and avant-garde underpinnings that keptMelodyso pleasantly grounded. They haven’t lost their knack for subtle hooks and well-placed cross-rhythms, like the slippery keyboard squibble that glides its way into "What Else Is There?" But the sophomore curse is hard to overcome, and though there’s plenty here to recommend, Berge and Brundtland aren’t able to break the spell. NOTE: The limited edition version of the record includes an all-new 5-song B-Side EP. –Matthew Cooke