I’d so hoped…

…that this blog wouldn’t become (mostly) about one thing. And maybe, being a blog, that’s enough to make it about one thing: my thoughts and interests. But in any case, I was looking around for interesting stuff to blog about, and at first could really only think of one compelling thing: this site I found a couple of weeks back. And yes, it’s quasi–political and about moral pugilism in America. (I really hope after November, all this will stop so you poor people won’t have to read it.)

A young photography student got really nastily pushed around by local and federal police for doing nothing more than taking photos of a wellknown and picturesque (photos are on the site) park and canal lock gates near his home. He was so frightened and panicked that his instincts — like those of a trapped rabbit in North Carolina which will cause said rabbit to run — caused him to inform as many people as possible. Because thank god, there’s still safety in numbers.

But, even as my heart sank, even as I realised there is nothing worth blogging about out there that I can actually be bothered to search through my history for — bang! Inspiration!

Röyksopp. Does that mean anything to you? Do you recognise the name? Röyksopp are purveyors — nay, creators — of the finest and most funkily serene music since ‘_____’, a generic teenager from everywhere on the planet, sat in his/her room and dreamt the perfect album in his/her spotty head.

Royksopp is something very special. Thanks to their work with Kings Of Convenience, Those Norwegians, and Drum Island the boys are at the heart of the Nordic funk. Their album twinkles like the Northern Lights, has the warmth of a well–worn Rhodes, and manages to mix up styles like Love Unlimited having a snowball fight with Mad Professor over at Brian Eno’s pad.

Yes, that’s right. ONE album. Just one. And that is pure gold when you consider how their music is adored by so many people. One of my favourite blogs, things magazine, has only just noticed the video of Remind Me. Made entirely of animated and morphing information graphics. It’s worth a look, people. The cover art of the album is also lovely because it’s minimalistic. We have a swirl of sky so perfectly, leather–sofa–in–dream–Scandinavian–home brown that there is no grotesquerie here; the visual signals of evergreen trees; and a typeface which, capitalised, is simple and not shouty. It says “this is just me, really”.

And yes, Röyksopp’s site and the video are the ‘totally worth it’ links of the day. You need look no further. Except maybe at this site, to get an idea of the critical acclaim.