By most metrics,
Roeyksopp
'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 Sundfor
, 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
Torbjorn 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
'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
Brundtland
can still bring the thunder to the dancefloor. Both
Sundfor
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
'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,
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