Media reviews for the “Travelling” album

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So close to the Travelling album release, media reviews appear here and there. We’ll collect them in this article. While Roxette have never been the critics favourites, the reaction to their “different” sound this time could get interesting!

Sweden
svd.se: 3/6 “Gessle’s love of pop history shines through.”
sydsvenskan.se: 3/5 “The point is that Roxette just sounds like a band, as a close-knit group of musicians. Not – as the dreary “Charm School” from last year – as a carefully calculated studio product.”
allehanda.se: 2/5 “Pretty nice and easy to digest 60s pop”
gp.se: 2/? “You know how it sounds. The strings and vocal gear, straddle powerpop with coiling Tom Petty Guitars and obese radio ballads. No band is in such a tight 90’s grip as Roxette.
gaffa.se: 3/6 “Fatigue appears after any long trip. After decades of traveling the world, Roxette have fallen into a state of melancholy reflection.”
ystadsallehanda.se: 3/5 “Travelling” is not as clear as a bell as the duo’s early works, no direct choruses in the same way, but I think it is enough to keep the old fans alive and find some new ones.”
dn.se: 2/5
ltz.se | TT Spektra: 3/? “And just the new tracks are really interesting. … I hope it is just a taste of how it sounds when Roxette gather for an album with only new material.”
norran.se: 3/5 “Mainly in the beginning of “Travelling” Roxette and Per Gessle deliver a cheeky pop album, but dare not take it all the way.”
corren.se: 3/? “Travelling is a choo-choo train through pop landscape, a travel phrase book without too advanced phrases and a small propeller plane over previous jumbo-successes.”
aftonbladet.se: 3/5 (article only available for “plus” subscribers)
Metro.se: 2/5 “Best track: Perfect Excuse”
bt.se: 3/? “Travelling is a dose harmonious and mature pop music that is surprisingly difficult to dislike. Compared with the rest of Roxette’s later work, it is a clear progress.”
unt.se: 3/? “There is a playfulness reminiscent of Roxette’s more adventurous, but commercially less successful interlude in the 1990s.”

Denmark
gaffa.dk: 2/6 ” Roxette still traveling along the path they mapped out in the mid-eighties. But greatness is due.”

Germany
monstersandcritics.de: No rating, but really positive! “On a successful journey. … In its diversity ‘Travelling’ reveals once more two sides of the same band – representative are the two versions of ‘It’s Possible’.”
t-online.de: No rating, but positive verdict. “Roxette are still the same. Their ninth album, “Travelling” shows a certain maturity in addition to the recovered ease. … The band is aging with dignity, while the audience may still feel young.”
n-tv.de No rating, but very positive! “With their ninth album “Travelling” the two Swedes prove that they are here to stay for a long time – and that pop is as versatile as a world tour.”
hr-online.de | HR1 radio: No rating, album of the week. “Clear case, the Roxette concept since 1986 still attracts: Absolutely straight rock with small playful gimmicks in the background and absolute catchy melodies.”
laut.de: 2/5 “The few highlights show that Roxette have returned to good form. Better than “Charm School”, but never as good as in the 80s and 90s.”
news.de: Very detailed and positive! “Roxette do harmless, catchy, beautiful pop songs on Travelling. Songs that sound grown up, but bear the teenager in the heart. Songs that jump between many reference points in the lexicon of pop music, and yet are unique Roxette.”
spreeradio.de: Album of the week “Travelling is a fascinating musical greeting with 15 great songs.”
lokalkompass.de: No rating. “Roxette have once again served a great pop album, which is determined by enthusiasm and great melodies.”

Austria
nachrichten.at: “”Travelling” is typical Roxette pop of the catchy sort, without the big earwigs that you could not ignore.”

Russia
rollingstone.ru: 3/5 “In general “Travelling” is quite good pop music, but not relevant in any way.”
muzobzor.ru: 5/5 “It has all chances to become a worthy continuation of Roxette’s discography.”

Norway
ba.no: 4/6 “Best when the energy level is turned down.”

Hungary
mymusic.hu: 8/10 “It proved that even after 25 years they didn’t run out of inspiration. We hope that we can expect ideas for several more albums from them!”

Thanks for everyone contributing!

18 thoughts on “Media reviews for the “Travelling” album”

  1. Here we go….don’t know if I want to read negative reviews. Had a listen to the album this morning and yeah it is a typical Tourism 2 ! Songs are warm and comfortable, not forced. I already have a few on repeat! 🙂

  2. Roxette my mind always.
    of each disc I can take something and fall in love with his music
    no matter how good or bad, thank God for them still with us

  6. Dutch veteran (but still popular and well-listened to) DJ Frits Spits, who is known to like Roxette, discussed Travelling in his album-rating show “De Strepen Van Spits” today. According to him, Roxette sounds “dated” as Travelling could as well have been the successor to Joyride, but that isn’t a bad thing: it means Roxette are as strong as before with great music. “See Me” was mentioned as one of the strongest songs and thus played, and the album got a rating of 8 out of 15 (meaning songs worth listening to on the album). For comparison: Charm School scored 8/12.

    http://destrepenvanspits.kro.nl/seizoenen/2012/afleveringen/24-03-2012 (in Dutch, starts at 40m:35s)

  7. Dutch Newspaper AD (Algemeen Dagblad) published a large and very nice article about Roxette’s/Marie’s recovery yesterday. Travelling has an “unusual but pleasant mix of styles” and gets rated 4/5. This is also due to the musicians, “making Roxette sound more like band than even before”. “It’s Possible” and “TBTHOG” are called “Classic 90’s-pop” and “Beatle-like songs as M&Y&T&J and LLL” praised as “pop-diamonds with a shine that is not often seen”.

    Funny reply from Per (at least I never heard it before) on the question if they play all the big hits in Amsterdam: “If I go to see the Rolling Stones I want them to play Satisfaction. It’s that easy. And the same goes for Roxette”.

    (no link available, only found in the paper version until now)

  10. Per (or the team?) posted Remco’s info, so I added a link to this collection.

    I think the reviews are not that bad this time. Mostly 3 instead of 2 points from Sweden now. 😛

  12. Evgeny Perekopskiy gave us a translation of the Rollingstone.ru review: “Roxette were absent on stage for the whole decade, but for a very important reason – singer Marie Fredriksson was struggling with a brain tumor and its consequences. However, she properly recorded her solo stuff, but Roxette’s reunion demanded much more effort. Last year, all began to turn: the album with one single hit, sold-out world tour with the provincial sports palaces. At the concerts of that time in many ways a suite played for the king and queen, and the emphasis was not on the fresh material. Then the duo decided to follow the route of one of their most successful albums “Tourism” – exactly twenty years ago, and the cover of the “Travelling” album is clearly hinting at it. With such marketing ploys the trick is always behind, but, fortunately for the band their “travelling” was more likely to happen rather than not. The owner of the gingerbread voice Per Gessle surely showed his “Beatlemania,” and the arrangements do have benefits of it. The album is dominated by light ballads with a taste of the soap opera. It’s kinda easy to fall asleep, but then such a canonical named track “Touched By The Hand Of God” is following, and then the brand new hit “It’s Possible” is bracing. And just as the curtain fell suddenly “Stars” starts to play – the only song on the album, which sounds as if it was not written in the last century. And in general “Travelling” is quite good pop music, but not relevant in any way.” Thanks!

  17. Travelling is awesome, the negative critics can just fuck off and let the fans enjoy the music!

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