For those who've only bought three chill-out albums since the late-1990s, the chances are those purchases include one or more of Air's 'Moon Safari', Goldfrapp's 'Felt Mountain' and Röyksopp's 'Melody A.M.'. As if the title of the Norwegian duo's debut wasn't clear enough, here was a tuneful quasi-easy listening record which worked as either a post-club comedown or a pre-Sunday lunch appetiser. With that in mind, much is obviously expected of its successor. 'The Understanding' is still a chill-out record but it's settled on a sound midway between 'Moon Safari' and 70s disco pop featuring lighter than air melodies and gentle soulful vocals. Because of this it's not too surprising that the music occasionally drifts into aural wallpaper territory (the instrumental 'Alpha Male' is a waste of eight minutes of album time) but the majority of the time is spent on delivering intelligent floor-fillers. Of the many highlights are '49 Percent' (reminiscent of New Order's Be Music projects), the breezy sensuality of 'Sombre Detune', a lusty performance by The Knife's Karin Dreijer on 'What Else Is There?' and two cracking songs full of giddy romanticism and effortless cool ('Someone Like Me', 'Beautiful Day Without You'). Once the initial shock of the glossy production dies down, 'The Understanding' slowly and surely reveals its hidden depths.