1. "Monument"
This dark and scattered mix of cloudy and feverish vocals is a haunting track that clocks just past the 10 minute marker. The first solid minute feels like a whisk into a darkened space reminiscent of both heaven and hell. Robyn chimes in with chanting vocals for the next two minutes. Throughout this time, special effects layer over her vocals, and knives chop the whispering backbeats in uneven patterns. The vocals fade away until they are replaced with jazz instruments and sounds of drowning words. Robyn returns once more to mutter the chorus for several seconds. Sounds of drums and other related tribal instruments encompass the final 2-3 minutes of the track, until a fire extinguishes all sound in the final moments of the track. It's a melancholy affair that is both intriguing and spooky.
2. "Sayit"
The whispers and darkness start to strip away, and the thumping molds of house music start to pave the way for the rest of the album. "Sayit" combines trance, dance, house and electronic music into one odd, yet irresistible slice of fun. The title is uttered during several instances, but the repetitive phrase is the only one on the entire track. Though there aren't many, the vocals throughout the track are chopped and scattered, just like trance music. It's a robotic, mind bending treat that's like nothing you've heard before.
3. "Do It Again"
The ooey, gooey title track ("Do It Again") reflects the Body Talk days of Robyn's past, while whipping in the classic electronica vibes that made Röyksopp popular. It's like a bridge between the two worlds of Robyn and Röyksopp (dance pop and electronica respectively). It's the heart and the soul of the mini album, the sweetest offering of all 5 tracks. The euphoric feel of the album is in full swing during this track.
"Do It Again" debuts at #24 on the CDS Music Chart Hot 50 1 week ahead of its parent album's release.
4. "Every Little Thing"
Following the runaway pop dance themes of "Do It Again", Röyksopp tones down the production and Robyn takes a break from the strong vocals. With a wave of synths and sirens, "Every Little Thing" feels like the bitter end of an epic party. Emotions rupture all over the track and the pulsating sounds bring a type of depth so unreasonable and unheard of that it feels fake and real at the same time.
5. "Inside the Idle Hour Club"
The second bookend of the mini album is the final track, "Inside the Idle Hour Club". The track, while being near fully instrumental (save for several utters in different languages), is quite an enjoyable experience. The pulsing story maneuvers through different types of music ranging from sweet synth'd flutes to drudging computer beats and bubbly cathedral type music. They all see to perfectly wash over each other, and as the track draws to a close, you can hear the mixture of sounds at varying degrees of volume. It's not my type of album closer, but it certainly works (I'll give them that).
Rating: 90% (A-)
Overview: It's really hard to describe this album. Collectively, Do It Again sounds both scattered and pieced perfectly all at the same time. It feels like a square of chocolate: short and sweet, with a hard exterior ("Inside the Idle Hour Club" and "Monument") and a creamy interior ("Sayit", "Do It Again" and "Every Little Thing"). While 5 songs normally wouldn't be enough to tell a reasonable story, in this case it is. At first however, it feels like a mess. But really, it's quite brilliant. The pieces are all there but its up to the listener to put them together the right way. The album bounces around and experiments with synths, vocals, effects and production to create a raw piece of work that feels both tightly knit and cleverly crafted. Among the highlights (it's hard to pick when there's only 5) are "Monument" and "Do It Again".
It's not your typical release, but if you listen to the whole mini-album all the way through, there's a 75% chance that you'll fully appreciate it.
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