Röyksopp weren't lying when they said that last year's album, Senior, would be a more introverted, serious companion to 2009's Junior. While it wasn't quite the dark, brooding piece that some may have expected given the press, it certainly offered a contrast to their poppy work of yesteryear. Thus, it follows that the second single from the same album wouldn't be a complete return to their known sound.
And yet... the Norwegian duo haven't travelled far from their idiosyncratic warblings. Though they've gone a tad deeper, the genre-defying method hasn't changed. Previously unreleased track "Keyboard Milk," for example, is full of soaring synth sweeps and dramatic chord changes. It's almost a more artificial version of "Röyksopp Forever." Synth pop would be the perfect label, were it not for the fact that the second half sounds like progressive rock.
"Forsaken Cowboy"—the radio edit—is a simpler affair. It trots along at an easy pace, matched by patient guitar chords and plucks, while female harmony provides atmosphere. As much as its bright companion, it proves one thing: Röyksopp is ultimately a cheerful project, even when it tries to be otherwise. And isn't that the way we like it?
Buy Röyksopp - Foresaken Cowboy at
  
Tracklist: Röyksopp - Foresaken Cowboy
 01. Forsaken Cowboy (Radio Edit)
02. Keyboard Milk
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