Röyksopp

The first time I ever heard one of Royksopp's songs, it was "Poor Leno" on the snowboarding videogame SSX 3. I liked it, but didn't feel like hunting down the CD. Then, like so many other people here, I saw the Geico commercial, and fell deeply entranced by "Remind Me". Ravenously, I hunted down the album and purchased it.

After listening to the CD a couple times, I felt a bit let down. "Remind Me" and "Poor Leno", which I was already familiar with, were naturally my favorites. The rest of the music just seemed like background noise. Luckily, that impression didn't last.

It takes multiple sessions of listening to the album to come to grips with just what Royksopp is doing with their music. Only after the initial unfamiliarity with the tracks dissolves, can you truly see what a great virtuoso band Royksopp truly is.

I finally realized that, when I purchased the album, I was hoping for all the music to sound like the ones I'd already heard. I now see that it would've been boring for the entire album to be so uniform. Royksopp is great at variety.

Their music covers a broad spectrum of symphonic beauty. Songs like "In Space", which has no lyrics, transcend being mere songs and achieve something far loftier. There is a stunning beauty, at times a bit of playfulness, to the music.

The fact that two people could come up with these musical arrangements, which at first seem simple but are really very elaborate, is astonishing.

The same could be said for their follow up album, "The Understanding", which is equally as wondrous as "Melody AM", and requires multiple listenings to enjoy everything showcased. You won't regret getting it.

Buy this album. Listen to it. Listen to it again. Then again. You'll find yourself unable to stop listening to it. Royksopp's music, unlike most contemporary pop music, does not breed resentment with familiarity. You will not tire of hearing this album over and over. Instead, familiarity here breeds understanding and appreciation for what truly is some of the best music money can buy.

This album has a great list of songs. My favorite is "Remind Me" which is featured on the Geico Commercial where the caveman is at the airport. I love this album.

I bought this CD after hearing Remind Me in a club one day and laughing about how "this is the Geico song." Well, Remind Me is a pretty great song (even if it was on a commercial), but the rest of the CD is great too. Its low key to be sure. Remind Me is the most upbeat of the songs on this album. I think this CD is great.

I was so happy with this CD that I also bought "the Understanding." Too bad. Melody AM is so much better than the Understanding that the CDs sound like they were made by different groups altogether.

Delightfull european 70-80ish club scence mood music. Was looking for the 'Remind Me' trac but found the 1st track to the last really soft and techno jazz and in one. Love it!

Royksopp is an electrified duo, composing some really out there beats. The songs on Melody A.M. all have variety, while they take a bit to depart they create a trance of some sort. The album art is pretty neat too.

Beginning with "So Easy" it already launches a great atmosphere. The fading in and out vocal seem like they were recorded ages ago, it gives a nostalgic feeling to an album thats only been out a little over 7 years. The songs are tethered with electronic beats, and percussions. "Eple" holds the spacey groove so many electronic bands strive to nail and never satisfyingly get it down pact. It may be just me, but "Sparks" feels a bit like a jazzy/blues song revamped for an electric era (along with "Shes So"). "In Space" feels less spacey and more like an intro to a movie, but still good in all aspects. "Royksopps Night Out" is the longest track, but stays tightly together the entire 7 minutes or so. Really progressive, but never falls out of its intro sound entirely.
Many may know of "Remind Me" with out even knowing the bands name, thanks to Geico commercials airing the song with the cave man. The song is really the most single worthy, not due to it being the best though. It simply follows the strict radio format better.

My pick off the album goes to either, "So Easy" or "A Higher Place".
The second song mentioned an accomplishment, great flow nice bleeding in intro.

Had this album over a year, the more I listen to it the more i appreciate it. All the tracks are well pinned lengths, and an overall worthy purchase. (If this version contains the 3 "Poor Leno" remixes, try investing time into hearing the Royksopp Remix entitled one)

Saturday Night Fever's John Travolta is suddenly transported through time into the future, where by a freak coincidence he fuses with Moby. Royksopp, named after the sound made when the two fused together, is like the Coors Light train roaring through town: chill, funky, and refreshing.

I was so happy with "Melody AM" that I also bought "the Understanding." Too bad. Melody AM is so much better than the Understanding that the CDs sound like they were made by different groups altogether. This CD just did not have any life to it. Kind of blah.

Melody AM was no doubt one of the best albums of 2002 period. It was an amazing peice of electronic music that went beyond the confines of the genre. It was moody, melodic, and haunting... So, with a masterpeice like Melody AM, where can you go?

Actually, if Roysopp had rested on their laurels and made a Melody AM pt. 2, it would have been better than this contrived peice of electronic dance music. There is absolutely no substance, it is all fluff. The beats all sound the same, and they sound like just about anything you would hear on a standard dance album. It is closer to synth pop than electronica or downbeat music... It is very disapointing.

Out of the 12 tracks, the only ones I really remember is the first track "Triumphant" and the seventh track "What Else is There?" The latter being the only truly memorable song on the disc, and largely in part to the haunting vocals provided by Knife's lead singer Karin Andersson. Her voice is similar to Bjork's styalistically, and adds a very somber and almost mystical tone to the song. This song is no doubt on par with Meldoy AM, but everything else here is so sub-par it makes you wonder if Royksopp can make it back up to the same quality that they once had.

God Bless ~Amy

I guess I must be batting a thousand right now. It seems that every CD I buy I can't put it down, and this one is no different. I heard "Melody A.M." and I thought it was okay. But after hearing "The Understanding" I realized that we (Royksopp & myself) did in fact have an understanding. They keep making music that I enjoy listening to and I'll keep buying it. Though there are a few songs that I don't jump up and down for (true of all music) this CD is very pleasant to listen to, at home, in the car, or from my LG Voyager phone. I love "Only This Moment", Sombre Detune" and "Follow My Ruin". But my two absolute favorites are "Beautiful Day Without You" and "Someone Like Me" whose lyrics remind me of why I'm still insanely in love with my wife. What are the odds?

I'll keep this short, and give a track-by-track later:

The moment I first heard Melody A.M. all the way thru, I cried sweet tears of bliss. Now, album 2 is no Melody, but either way, it rocks my socks. One play of "Follow My Ruin" will wow you. It wowed my English class. ;)

So don't knock this album. You'll groove to it, and that's a given.

This song really stands out, I keep forgetting that its Royksopp. It just sounds so different to me. I wish they would do more songs with lead singers from other bands. Getting the lead singer from "the Knife" for this song was an awesome idea.


other recommendations:
Jacques Lu Cont
The Knife
Crystal Castles

What Else Is There?
The original song is already a blessing and when I heard they made remixes I just had to hear them, all of them are good but one just caught my ear more than the others. The Trentemoller remix is truly uplifting, never heard a better remix in my short 18 years on this earth but honestly, totally worth the money, and hope Royksopp and Trentemoller keep me amazed.

her voice is awesome the mixes are great with a good mix of bpm's for a wide amonunt of mixing

The girl in the video with the milk dripping is not Karin The Knife. The one who is Karin is the girl that is eating the apple.
- enrique de la Garza III

This is not a CD. It is an "Enhanced CD" which means it wants to run a software program in order to be heard on your computer. After all the mess Sony caused with software 'enhanced' CDs, I am very upset with my purchase. I thought I was buying a music CD, not a software progam that plays music and does who knows what else to my computer. If I can find a way to send this back I will.

I listened to the song on a regular radio, and its pretty good. If you only use a radio, then this will be fine for you.

Royksopp has provided a number of unexpected sounds and variances to their music. I doubt anyone could have guessed The Understanding would have been what it was after playing Melody AM inside out, but it ended up being fantastic - did it not?? This is a great upbeat, more poppy and easily vibed-to mix. And yes, the mixing and transitions are superb! The only thing I think anyone could criticize this album for is the fact that you might not dig the sound as much. It's a very electronic, dancy, happy kind of mix. Some artists would make the set to fit in with the sound of their own releases more, and included songs of their own that mix in well, but this is a fabulous DJ set that I'd love to hear 'em play out if ever so lucky. YOU WOULD DIG IT ALL NIGHT LONG!

This is a very groovy and smoothly mixed, retro dance entry in the Back to Mine series, and in my opinion, one of the best I've heard yet. The tracks in this mix range from 1973 to 1985. They touch on late 70's disco and funk, and early to mid 80's italo disco.

Interest in italo disco has peaked lately, with this Röyksopp mix, another retro mix called Hellboys, and a handful of new artists such as those featured on After Dark, who are creating new sounds molded from the past. Röyksopp has definitely touched all their Italo Disco bases, by including some of the most popular tracks of this early to mid 80's European genre: Mr. Flagio's Take A Chance, Valerie Dore's Get Closer, and Klein and M.B.O.'s Dirty Talk.

They start out the mix with the kooky sounds of The Talking Heads; dive into some Italo and standard disco grooves; throw in only 2 tracks from this decade (one is their own track, Meatball, under the Emmanuel Splice alias); and finish with some turn taking between italo disco and some late 70's funk. It's a well rounded and perfect trip back in time through disco, funk, and all it's groovy origins.

I want to also note that the back of the CD incorrectly numbers the tracks. Due to two tracks spliced together and taking up track spots 5 & 6, they did not give them each a number and list them both within track 5, so tracks 6-19 on the back of the CD are actually 7-20 on the disc itself.

This is the cd I discovered Royksopp with, and while not having any Royksopp trakcks per se, through the set you get to hear what these guys are all about. If you are into fun dj sets that move, check this out. The Funkadelic track at the end is the prize of the set, imo

I love Royskopp. Melody A.M. is a fantastic album. This album, however, I can only describe as an excessive amount of mediocre songs that have influenced them in the past. No orginal material here. Just bland.

As quoted from Wikipedia to hopefully clear up some confusion about the sound of this new Röyksopp album.

Back to Mine is a series of mix albums, usually (though not always) mixed by renowned DJs or composers of electronic music. The compilations usually feature artists other than the artist compiling the album, and are based on what the artist would play at home after a night out, rather than as part of a nightclub session.

My husband heard this song in a Geico commercial and insisted I find it online and buy it.

The first track I heard was Eple, which was used for a campaign advertising Tiscali(France). First, I thought it was the usual stupid advertising electronic music, but after a few times viewing the advert I started to fall in love with the music. The first tracks make the cd look promising (So Easy and Eple consecutively) , but don't worry, the rest is the same quality, especially "Röyksopp's Night Out" and "She's So".
Melody A.M is more likely to be listened to in the evening.
A real success in Europe, by the way.

The Norwegian dance Duo Röyksopp are defenitely among the most interesting groups lately,we haven't heard very much dance music from norway before but this album is really remarkable. It's soft dance music, you can relax too, the songs are meliodic and wonderdul, a few with chorus and some instrumental. "Melody A.M" is thier debut album actually, they are that kind of group that will sell more albums then single's so if you like them go for the album cause it's good. "Poor Leno" is one of a few songs with lyrics, it's a slow, seductive and a beautiful sound aswell. Then we have the likes of "Remind me" and "Eple" which i think i've heard somewhere else, but never on single. "A higher place" is good too and "She's so", There are diffrent versions of this album i think, some includes a few remixes of the hit singles, however it's not a very big loss without them either. Some like Moby, but this is defenitely better and it's not only suited for dance music fans, go for it!

This album is like moby's play but without the gospel choirs. This is one of the best chill-out albums around. Most of the instruments used by Royksopp you will have heard before but somehow all the songs on here sound truly unique. The best track on here is Higher Place, a stunning track with guitars, and laid back beats (where is this higher place, I want to go there!!!). Royksopp's night out sounds like something from a 60s movie. In space is about as chilled out as you can get with its warm synth and relaxing harp. So easy is a wierd track which keeps moving away from the 'aahing' which people in the UK will have heard on a particular TV commercial. 40 years back/come is a track which I love but I still don't know to make of the atmosphere. Remind me is a laid back song sung the brilliant Erland Oye (Buy the remixes). Sparks is another stunningly warm sounding track. Does the vocalist on this track sing for Telepopmusik? Poor Leno is a cool piece of house also sung by Erland Oye, you can either dance to it or chill to it.
If you like the sound of this don't waste time downloading it off the net, buy it right now cos you won't regret it. This has to be the best dance album of the year.

I bought this album a while back without hearing any of the songs on it, but basically trusting the raves of others and not to my surprise it has been one of the best dance CD's that I have ever bought (and I have many!). The sheer brillience of the tracks and their distintc and highly original substance provides for a great chill-out album that I would recommend to anyone who likes their dance music down tempo and easy on the ears. The melodies of some of the songs, especially "Remind Me," "Poor Leno" and "So Easy" are so catchy that you'll find yourself humming along, but never to the point where they're stuck in your head to your annoyance. In my opinion this is a brilliant breakthrough CD superior to the likes of Zero 7, Faithless, and Afterlife. Definately one of the best albums of 2001 and soon to be 2002 stateside.

Röyksopp are genius. This is one of the best albums in my collection. I listen to it over and over, and none of the songs wear out their welcome. The perfect blend of funk, house, techno and trance, this is a must-have CD for anyone looking for a little slower-paced electronic collection. You won't regret it.

You must really hate electronic music and be close minded to it to not get enjoyment out of this. Royksopp may not be the most original electronic artist in the world, and this gets lumped in the same category as that abomination called Thievery Corporation. Of course, I am alot harder to impress with electronic music, these days, and it takes a ____load to even get me interested (DAMN YOU AMON TOBIN!!!).

There really isn't a limit to the warm blanket this album pushes over me. Warm string sounds, some cool beats (Eple! So Easy!), and ambiance, ambiance, ambiance! They really know what the concept of ambiance is. Echos, textures, deepness, a layer of warmth that you never will want to part with. They also know how to inject real warmth and a natural, organic touch. They even throw some pleasant vocals in for good measure. Really though, it's kind of hard not to get some enjoyment for what it is. I can understand things like Eple (some people don't like bleeps and bloops), but In Space? I don't think so. At least those strings at the beginning. Beautiful stuff.

Those who know about GEICO's hilarious (at least before it became played out thanks to idiots. You know the type) Caveman commercials, well one of the songs is for you. Remind Me plays in the background of the airport one. Yeah, I had no idea it played in the background actually, I never remembered a thing. So yes, I heard of these guys not because of the commercial =).

Okay, so you want to know what to expect, do Yah? I will now give you a hands on of this great album. See comment box for instructions (no, seriously. It WILL help)!

Oh, I didn't care for 40 Years Back, A Higher Place as much. They weren't that bad. I also really don't think it's worth quite the five stars, but that's my opinion, anyway. Your's might be different. I'm just here to describe what I got out of it.

The concept of Downtempo often lies in combining ambient music with laid back beats for a lounge feel (further reading on ________). Melody AM has both and a human touch that cannot be ignored. It goes through my body and does it's stuff right, and even makes me dance an infectious groove. So Easy to Enjoy, A Caveman Could Love It! Really, most HUMAN people will enjoy something out of this. Unless, of course, your a classical music snob who thinks anything that requires electricity to play or based on that is automatically soulless.

8/10

I bought the CD for the song "Remember." I had hoped that the whole CD would be as good, and it is not. There is a guest vocalist singing "Remember" and the other best song, "Poor Leno," while the rest of the songs are decent/okay, but not as good. "Poor Leno" and "Remember" are worth the price of admission, however, and included as videos and with remixes. Excellent package.

I must admit (and epicureans of this genre of music will probably want to throttle me) that I heard this via those darn cavemen Geico commercials. As a late thirty-something I'm pretty much set in my musical tastes but after repeatedly hearing it on the TV commercial, I looked it up and bought it. I really like it- I mainly listen to it in the car since it has good "bass".

I still enjoy the song on it from the commercial, but I must say that I totally LOVE the song titled "Sparks". As a fan of eerie female vocals, this song is perfect- it has a slow tempo yet still has a strong "thumping" sound to it! Even though I tend to loathe commercials and marketing tactics in general, I am glad I heard this and bought it.

I bought this album for my dad and my entire family loves it. It's electronica/dance flare is perfect, not too trancy but almost acid jazz-like. I think the entire thing is solid and it's really catchy. Can listen to it any time of the day and very nice to fall asleep listening to it.

I just bought this CD from a local record store two days ago, and I can't stop listening to it. I think every track is great, which to me is saying something. I disagree with others that this sounds like "typical 80's" music, but if you're into downtempo electronica (i.e., Air, Zero 7, Thievery Corporation), and haven't heard this yet, I'd definitely recommend giving it a listen.

If you were in your late teens or early twenties in the 80's, you are gonna LOVE this CD. It's got them all...all the big hits.
My fav...Skin Trade. Highly underated song, and NOT the short version.
Love it...a MUST have for any CD party collection.

This is one of those CD's that are good for one song. "Remind Me" from the Geico Caveman commercial where he is in the airport and sees his poster on the wall. It is clear that Royksopp has done much better with their newest CD "The Understanding" it has at least 3 good songs. I like Royksopp when they actually create music instead of certain cacophonous filler material.
"Remind Me", "Only This Moment", "What Else Is There?", and "49 Percent" are their best works, 3 of which are found on the CD "The Understanding".
They are pretty good, but if they really want to impress, they should continue writing songs like "Only This Moment" and "What Else Is There?".
"Remind Me" is cool, but I was disappointed with the rest of the boring stuff on the "Melody A.M." CD.

If you are like me who wants to buy this CD because of the "Remind Me" track which was popularized to the U.S. mainstream crowd via the Geico caveman commercial (airport scene) and have no idea whether it's worth it to buy the whole album from Norwegians Torbjorn Brundtland and Svein Berge alias Royksopp and have no idea who they are :) then you might enjoy this if you are into electronica, techno-trance euro music. The music run along the likes of Moby or a little fatboy slim (if you recognize them). Lots of instrumental tracks which I like. The only thing I regret is that I got the Import one which contained 1 CD. There is an [Enhanced] version 2 discs with extended versions of 2 tracks i.e. Remind Me and Poor Leno. I am not a music buff so I really have no fancy words to describe it with. Apparently, the CD got rave reviews when it was released in 2002 in US (2001 in Europe). I'm 4 years too late in the discovery, am I? The Remind Me video won a European Music Awards. But barring all that, I liked the music, it is something that you could dance to or hear in a techno-house, electronica club, good for chilling out. Good pump-up music, just like the guy from IN said "Good for waking up, relaxing or getting ready for a night on the town."

"So Easy", "Eple", "Poor Leno" and the geico caveman song "Remind Me" really make this CD happen. I dunno how they did it, but they really got it right with Eple, The song just sounds incredible.

I would highly recommend this album. Its difficult to describe, but the similar artists I like are Goldfrapp, K&D, Thievery Corporation, Tosca. I grow more fond of this with every listen.

I really enjoyed this MP3 Download.
The quality was excellent and the Amazon MP3 downloader worked great. The MP3s are unprotected, just as advertised.

I will definitely buy MP3's from amazon again, and will be picking up another royksopp cd as well!

As one of the reviewers said if you really liked MELODY AM, you might be up for a surprise here. I suggest you listen to this album very carefully before buying it.

From mellow electro of MELODY AM, they went to electro-POP with an aftertaste of the 80's for many songs in THE UNDERSTANDING.

Sometimes, I hear some sounds of Eurythmics, Depeche Mode, and others in the after-taste portion of the songs.

Music is always hard to describe, that's the best I can do.

Their songs 11-12 of THE UNDERSTANDING are probably the ones I prefer, still they're not brilliant, and #11 reminds me of AIR.

If you absolutely loved "Melody AM", then this album may be a little bit of a disappointment for you. If, however, you loved "Melody AM" but found it ever so slightly lacking, like I did, you will probably be elated with this offering.

I loved "Melody AM" but missed the vocals that I tend to relish on downtempo/trip-hop records. While Melody had vocals, they felt a little bit like an afterthought. The star of the show on that album was the atmospheric, Nordic soundscapes. While completely enjoyable to listen to, Melody AM just didn't translate for me like this album so consistenly does.

This CD truly starts for me on the bubbly and effervescent "Only This Moment". I loved the uptempo beat of this track, particularly when combined with both male and female vocals. While I almost always prefer female vocals on electronica, this entire CD make me fall in love with the male vocalists (though the female vocals were flawless). Throw in the decadent "Follow My Ruin", the wistful "Beatiful Day Without You", and the soaring vocals on "What Else Is There" and I am in complete heaven. Again, great male vocals on "Follow My Ruin", totally changed my perception of how electronica/house music should be sound. The female vocals on "What Else is There" are beyond compare, though I do agree with one of the other reviewers that Cyndi Lauper somewhat comes to mind. Maybe that is why I love this song - I have seen Cyndi in concert three times and have always admired her unusual voice and unwillingness to conform. Yet, for me, this song even blows away anything she has offered.

This entire album is fantastic, not a single "skip it" song in entire collection. For hardcore Melody AM fans, you will still find some atmospheric offerings that should be to your liking. The bonus CD was worth the couple extra dollars. I expect that both CDs will be in constant, heavy rotation for some time to come.

The Undestanding is a great chilled vocal album, and precisely that is what makes it different from Melody am. This guys are pros, you won't be dissapointed by the vocals.

This one is (i'd dare to say) an experiment from royksopp on the vocals. You'll listen a female and male vocals with nice lyrics throughout the album.
In my opinion they did very well with them! Even though you might expect a less vocal album, i guarantee your satisfaction.

4 traxx on this album are rated 5stars on my media player, but the track i just can't stop listening to is 49%. It's a continuos (something like soft drum & bass) build up during those 5:12min. Excelent male vocals and very touching lyrics.

Melody AM did not had as many vocals as The Understanding, keep that in mind before buying this album.

THE UNDERSTANDING is that their first brilliant album, MELODY AM, was a fluke. Either that, or they weren't able to grasp what made MELODY AM brilliant. Hopefully they will work it out before releasing their next albumn. (tip: less voice, its not your strong point)

I saw this clip on RAGE the other night & the soothing melodies were great to listen to, i haven't heard the album Melody AM yet, but i'm sure it's gonna be a killer.

Eple is certainly one of the highlights of Royksopp's debut, "Melody A.M."; a fresh, happy tune that sounds like the aural equivalent of the Northern Lights. The single also features an ok dance remix and a slightly longer version of another album track. Get this and you'll want the album, but both are worth the money - this year's downtempo kings.