Melody A.M.

Come for the beeps, stay for the boops.

Experience being on hold with a modernist Scandanavian cell phone company, or watching a low energy Dr. Who chase scene, or perhaps a languid dialogue-free hand job video from a dubious "educational" VHS ordered from the back of a magazine... Is this where all these electronica tropes got invented? A fair bit of variety, but then a fair bit of monotony within individual songs.

While I dont dislike this, never hearing it wouldn't be one of my life's regrets.

AppleMusic says this album is dance music. I disagree. I think it’s electronic music to somewhat turn your brain off and enjoy the mood. This album is Brian Eno (the airport one) to me, but actually interesting. I listened several times, partly because I couldn’t get through the whole thing at once. I thoroughly enjoyed it more each time. A good find.

This was a pleasant surprise. Awesome downtempo dance music with some very unique sounds. Will definitely go back to it for background music.

This was my favourite album in college. It is like a time travel machine, immediately bringing me back to that time, the people and memories. Some bands and albums have lasted the test of time and I have listened to my whole life, and some serve a purpose for a time, and this was the latter. Listening back again though, its a great album, great melodies and 00s synthy beats, maybe even a hint of norwegian disco. I think it got overplayed and used too much in ads, but after a break, it still holds up.

Should be used as placed on hold music for a brothel. Garbage.

There aren't enough words in the English language to truly express how I feel about this album, all the different emotions it elicits in me, how Sparks still makes me cry without fail. It's such a work of art, no track without reason, everything just beautifully in place. I adore this album and every single memory I have associated with it and its tracks. Just superb.

This is a surprisingly good electronic album. I know it's basic to compare electronic bands to Moby but this album really reminds me of peak Moby. It's got a great down-tempo vibe, killer trip-hop groves, the vocals are sparse and textural, and the whole thing just oozes sophistication. You can tell these guys care deeply about making sure that everything is perfect and balanced. The attention to detail is astounding. This album is a whole feeling and I'm here for it.

Boring beep boop music. I'm never going to think about listening to this album again. I wish the entire album sounded like the first two songs - they generally get more and more boring as time goes on. I don't know if that's just my ears going numb or actually the music's fault but I don't give enough crap to go and listen again to make sure.

Evocative, and very pretty. Some great subtle textures. She's So is gorgeous and warm and is a nice cuddle.

Stanky-ass bass

I liked Eple when I first heard it. It’s one of my favourite songs to whistle. Fifty years ago, in an era when catchy instrumentals (like Hot Buttered Popcorn or Outta-Space) could become pop hits, I’m sure Eple would have made the charts. “So Easy” is interesting but they wear out the Burt Baccarat sample, though they elected to sample a version by a Swedish 60s pop-band, which probably saved them $$$. There are a number of well written tracks on the album and a couple are more forgettable rhythm or ambience based, typical of a lot of 90s downtempo. To quote one reviewer: “<Royksopp> combines the haunted atmospheres of Boards of Canada with the more traditional "song writing" sensibility of downbeat specialists like Groove Armada or Koop". With any musical genre, to me, it’s all about the song writing in the end. Boards of Canada got thumbs down from me due to a dearth of song writing, while I like the CDs I have by Groove Armada and Koop – and Royksopp.

Royksopp are Norwegian according to wiki. Norway is fucking cold. So its fucking remarkable that they manage to create quite such a summery vibe here! Chilled out Dance music with soul. not my Genre but a very pleasant listen. Press play and hear the snow begin to melt. 4/5

It's an OK album with some interesting tracks but nothing too good. You can put it in the background and just forget about it.

Loved this - An amazing mix of Downbeat dance, synths and ambient vocals. A truly outstanding album that I will return to again.

Ultimate music to relax, beeps here, bleeps there and the sun shines

loved it! I've never heard of them before, amazing recommendation

Really liking this. It's hitting all the right spots for me. I can work to this and likely will often.

Timeless. Great Album

Fucking amazing. The perfect house album. Great top to bottom. Super revolutionary.

Awesome, loads of memories around this one. First saw the video to Remind Me early in the morning at Rachel’s flat down in London. Sparks was part of my chill out AV set for Shinobi at Welly. And the album as a whole takes me back to Jodie’s house down Morpeth st. The album stands up well, maybe tails off a little at the end?

Music for wine bar wankers.

Очень крутая музыка для рекламы или для ТЦ. Захотелось аж в лифте покататься, минут 40 примерно.

Feeling nostalgic so 5 stars

I am down for some mellow repetitive yet interesting Electronica.

Discovered this the same day I discovered Illinoise from NME top chillout albums. Surprised by how much of this I knew back then. Classic.

I don't think I've heard the name Röyksopp before. From what I gather, they are a Norwegian electronic music duo, consisting of childhood friends Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland. Their music is often categorized as downtempo, featuring vintage synthesizers and multiple session vocalists. There's a very analogue approach to their style, and I think it paid off in dividends on their debut, Melody A.M.. The beauty of this album is that there's enough variety in composition track-by-track, such that it doesn't drag or overstay its welcome at a reasonable 45 minutes. For some tracks like opener "So Easy", "A Higher Place", and "She's So", the focus is placed on samples that are rarely used but purposefully utilized in context. Other tracks make the most of the session vocalists, such as Anneli Drecker's restrained delivery over the slowed-down trip hop of "Sparks" or Erlend Øye's easy-listening hooks over rich grooves on "Poor Leno" and "Remind Me". In some instances, organic instrumentation is given the time to shine, such as the cascading harps over sampled strings on "In Space", or the swooning saxophone play on "She's So". Finally, there are the tracks that go for broke with the synthesizer flair, from the tickling keys over a laidback drumbeat on "Eple", to the dreary chords over a stinging guitar loop on "A Higher Place", to the modulated lines over a squelching beat that fade into a spare melody on closer "40 Years Back/Come", and the centerpiece of this record "Röyksopp's Night Out" that's a free-flowing techno-funk experiment over an extended runtime. This album kept getting interesting as it went on, and not once did it feel tiresome or uninspired to me. I was genuinely impressed with Röyksopp's debut here. It was an eclectic electronica experience to behold, and it makes me curious what they've done since.

This is some incredible electronic music. I'm speechless. Great production everything sounds clear and beautiful

I <3 Royksopp -- I discovered them way after the fact, but I'm excited to listen to an album top to bottom; it's really what I need to get today going. Easy 5*, but I agree with others that it peaks early on. Highlights: poor leno, so easy (catchy and understated), eple

Listening to "Melody A.M." is an experience that few albums can provide. It's magical. It's ethereal. It's enchanting. It's all of that at the same time mixed with the beats of the synths. An amazing moment of my life was spent listening to this and i have no regrets.

Love this album

A very pleasant combination of soft disco beats/percussion and some very harmonically-focused synths. "Ahead of its time" is maybe a little strong, but you don't hear too many electronic artists from this era that obviously have musical chops too. You can hear these chops particularly in the chords being used. Love all the chords being thrown around in Eple. It sounds circle-of-fifths-ish, which is always a win. And that soft yet intense synth sound playing the melody scratches an itch in my brain I didn't even know was there. Poor Leno also has a pretty strong melodic hook and is funky as high heck. Speaking of funk, Röyksopp's Night Out is one of the funkiest electro-jam sessions I've ever heard. Swanky, even. Love the synth tones around the halfway point. The rise in intensity towards the end is great – in fact, there's a darn good sense of progression the entire time. I wish more tracks were like this, but unfortunately most are a lot more forgettable. Though they're all still likeable and rock-solid production-wise. Except for She's So, which is just so underwhelming for a penultimate track. My philosophy is that if you're going to end with something understated (40 Years Back Come), the penultimate track has to be energetic, and vice versa. There are countless examples of this being done well. Close To The Borderline / Through The Long Night (Billy Joel) is the first that comes to mind. Unfortunately, Röyksopp messes this up, making She's So the only miss for me. Definitely not a 5 (are you guys insane?) but it's up there. 4/5 Key tracks: Eple, Poor Leno, Röyksopp's Night Out

****A lovely instrumental album.

Yeah baby I'm playin SSX3 baby I'm in the zone baby

Fav: A Higher Place

This could bump up to 4.5 on repeat listens.

This really grew on me the more I listened, especially the middle of the record. Fun stuff!

Some really good music, it suits being chucked on in the background and just enjoying the mood. Very much of its era but a good change of pace. Fav tracks: Remind Me, She's So

Multiple vibes

Very good.

This was a surprise, I’d never heard of them, but really enjoyed this one

the album that convinced spongebob that mr krabs is a robot

So much to love about this record.The ambiance, the slight crackle and hiss throughout. The build up, slow down, build up, slow down, build up and up and then the epic moments of cinematic brilliance. The first track So Easy is a favourite. So many little quality production gems. The looping melody. The textures and grooves. The way they tour the keyboard hitting so many different sounds that all hit the sweet spot at the perfect moments. There are a few tracks i might consider filler. There are moments where they try to do something experimental that doesnt pay off for me. Some discordant , out of tune, weak guitar solos come to mind. But overall i really enjoyed this record. So many unique and interesting sounds and samples, intertwined to make some really catchy hooks. Favourite track - So Easy. 8.5/10

Very coool lo-fi and very 00’s music. It suited a bike ride to work very well, which has become one of the major factors in my ratings on this process. Quite a few moments in here where I recognised samples, or indeed whole songs, that i hadn’t heard for a long time. Which was cool. 4.0/5.0 Best Song: Eple - transported me straight back to 2001/2 in a great way

This was vibey.

Good ambient tunes, lots of recognisable ones

Great album

A masterclass in turn of the century downtempo, Melody A.M. is solid throughout. Most tracks make the smart choice not to outstay their welcome, but honestly, when “Royksopp's Night Out” drifts on for over 7 minutes, that’s not a problem either. So there is potentially an alternative-universe, more epic version of the album which stretches successfully beyond the compact 46 mins presented here. There’s a relentless flow of quality melody and interesting hooks. Against some of the heavyweights of the era in this realm (Boards of Canada, Air, Fourtet) it might not be still sounding quite as strong 20 years on, but nevertheless still an album worth a regular spin with some absolute bangers in the singles.

Actually really liked this. Very great production and it's kind of chill. Overall just a very good listen.

A sound I am more unaccustomed to but nothing to run from. Quite serene.

I liked this one. I already knew 'Remind Me,' but I didn't know any of the other songs. Very good background ambient music, but unfortunately no real stand out songs other than Remind Me.

fist norwegian album?

So bland I genuinely forgot I was listening to it at times.

Some songs sound like it could be from a forgettable 90s video game soundtrack. Maybe 1 or 2 of the songs are fine but everything was very boring for the most part

More bleh 90s electronic

It was fun, but for the most part it faded into the background for me.

I don’t really know what to make of this one. Mostly electronic instrumentals. A couple of songs had vocals. Some of it sounds like porn background music, some more lounge-y. None of it memorable either for good or bad.

Reasonably pleasant meander through some of dance and electronica's mellower moods. Not my jam though, never will be. It almost feels like yacht rock for the beatheads.

I will never be a fan of ambient electro musix

I liked this a lot and could tell when the album finished so definitely a full story

great listening experience.

This is a 5 not because it can stand up with the all time greats, but because I loved every second of it. By far, one of my top favorite albums from this generator.

Amazing album! 10/10

Melody A.M. feels like morning captured in sound: soft light, quiet optimism, and the calm between dreaming and waking. It drifts between pure instrumentals, songs sung in half-light, and others suspended in a kind of wordless reverie; vocal cues that shimmer and dissolve before they can fully form. “So Easy” opens with a sleepy grin, jazz-tinged and weightless; “Sparks” glows like meditation; “In Space” dreams of tomorrow’s horizons. By the time “40 Years Back Home” closes, the sun has fully risen. Released in 2001 yet still sounding ahead of its time, Melody A.M. remains Röyksopp’s purest vision as an ode to the future, sung from the quiet heart of morning.

really nice no skips

10/15/25. Not sure why I resonated with this one so much, but I loved it! Really cool electronic music with a lot of range. Remind Me is an old favorite, but definitely enjoyed each track. Will be back for repeat listens, and should give the rest of the catalog a listen.

Moja definicija easy listeninga, mogla bih ovo slušati dan-noć. Instant 5 zvjezdica na prvu, prethodno sam znala nekoliko legendarnih pjesama i sad se fino dopunilo. Bez greške. Jedan od najboljih elektronskih albuma ikad.

Melodies in the morning tend to be something that has been taken for granted these days. For the Norwegian outfit Röyksopp, that is not worth considering. Without having to travel to Bristol or anywhere else in England, they crafted together an easygoing and hard to resist concoction destined to soundtrack idle long drives for car commercials (not a slight, it is probably how music listeners were introduced to them). Melody A.M. is the kind of album that inspires cinematic visualizations, which is helped by the album cover. If they were smart, Röyksopp could build upon this and evolve rather than regurgitate over and over.

I loveeee Röyksopp’s Night Out!! Definitely expanded my taste.

Brilliant front to back

Lovely album

Melody A.M. was an incredibly nice surprise. I always do enjoy a good electronica album and this album did more than enough to scratch that itch. This album is one of those complex, layered and interesting electronic albums that i enjoy so much. It also had some really good work on the bass. This is also one of the few electronica albums that never got repetitive no matter how long the songs got and were still always able to stay in my memory for quite a while. I genuinely don't think i can find a single bad thing to say about it as it just executes every thing so well. This is yet another album that's getting full marks from me. Best Song: Royksopp's Night Out Worst Song: She's So

10 songs, 5 of which were singles, each of which is a perfect wistful, head-nodding little treat. Some nice beats to fill the album out, and one unnecessarily long proggy piece. I missed out at the time because I was going through a heavy phase, but it's a perfect memory lf that time.

This is a 4.5 album to me. I've loved it since it came out. It's mix of chill electronica, some ambient music, some jazz, and just Scandinavian sensibilities fit right in with other great music from Iceland, Sweden, etc.

This album takes me back to my early 20s and the early 2000s electronic scene. This was such a breath of fresh air. At least here in the US, the electronic and rave scene was really blowing up and becoming very commercial. This created a culture where most of the music was focused on trying to be the next big thing, driven by glitz and an obsession with pushing boundaries. During this time, I gravitated towards downtempo music because it separated itself from that flashy appeal and was meant for lounging and relaxing. This was one of those standout albums that truly had its own unique sound, bringing soothing comfort. Even today, this album still sounds just as fresh and enjoyable as it did over 20 years ago.

Pretty great intro to electronic roommate. Kinda hearing some jam band influence

It’s been a family classic for decades, love it. Puts a smile on my face.

Now this, this is bleeps and bloops done right! Chill but still interesting, electronic but varied, and So Easy is one of the tracks of all time - it's been on regular rotation for me pretty much since it came out, and I don't see that changing any time soon :)

One pf the best electronic albums from one of the best eöectronic bands.

The first two tracks very recognisable but I would never have identified them as Royksopp, that's cool. I liked this a lot. It was a very nice time. Fave Tracks: So Easy, Eple, Remind Me 4.5/5

Great to get an album mostly devoid of vocals, there's not many on the list. Epie is damn amazing. Sparks is beautiful. I can almost feel my anxiety melting away listening to Sparks. In Space is an adventure, hopeful. Poor Leno bops along at great pace. I'm enjoying A Higher Place, too This album is a masterpiece.

I really enjoyed this and look forward to a relisten and a deep dive into the rest of their catalogue.

5 stars by default because it happened on June 22

Great album, already in my regular rotation

norwegische elektronic ambient, downtempo

Very eclectic sound morphing from an almost soft jazz sound into new age and atmospheric mood. Loved every bit of it.

Really like. Probably 4 or 5. Had forgotten about it.

Solid from start to finish

5) божественно

Standout album first listen I was too busy but gave it a second try and understood the mastery

One of my fave albums <3

8. Right off the bat I love how this sounds, basically techno like beats with unique sounds thrown in. The songs have this kind of warble and mutating groove to them which sounds really cool. This is a really relaxing album with sounds that kind of sparks your imagination. If I had to compare this album to something, I would compare it to a similar sound like the Metroid Prime soundtrack, where they both have this downtempo sound with these unique space like sounds creeping up in your ear. Overall this is a really fantastic album, I loved it and will add it to my collection / playlist. And I think everyone should try to listen to this album at least once. Favorite Song: So easy, Sparks Least Favorite Song: Royksopp's Night Out Overall Score: 9/10

I don’t like electronica, but this is the one exception. I found this album years ago; it was the first time I heard something playing overhead in a record store that I had to ask the clerk what it was because I wanted to buy it so badly. Melody A.M. is what I consider fantastic chill out music. Each track is distinctive, but they also blend into a laid-back whole. They put some of my favorite songs at the top, “So Easy” and “Eple.” Both feature a fantastic sense of balance where the song moves through these complex sections without any one part overpowering the others. They also avoid the intense repetition I find grating in other electronica. There are some songs with lyrics, such as “Remind Me,” but that tends not to be the focus. Instead it’s about the moment to moment sounds.

danceable but sonorous, enough unusual sounds to keep you dancing while confroming to the language off music. Spectacular all around.

Oooouuughhhh… I love electronic music so muuuuch

elettronica ambient spacca

Another album I was happy to see. I would listen again

Not from this world.

A surprising listen, the songs were different enough from each other it kept me interested all throughout