Röyksopp | ||
| Allmusic Biography : Norwegian duo Röyksopp compensated for the cold climes of their native Tromsø by crafting warm, inviting downbeat electronic dance music, exemplified by early tracks like "Eple" and "Poor Leno." They issued their breakthrough debut Melody A.M. in 2001, hitting a mainstream peak in the late 2000s with the guest-packed chart-topper Junior and its introspective accompaniment, Senior. Though they shied away from traditional album-based releases after 2014s farewell full-length Do It Again, they continued to issue music in the form of singles and mixes. The pair -- Torbjørn Brundtland and Svein Berge -- both grew up in Tromsø and began recording in the early 90s. Local-made-good Geir Jenssen (aka Biosphere) provided tutelage and almost convinced the duo to record for R&S; sublabel Apollo. After a few years apart, Brundtland and Berge met up again in Bergen and re-formed Röyksopp in 1998. The group released a few singles on Tellé, then signed to the big beat label Wall of Sound. Röyksopp debuted with 2001s "Eple" single; both "Eple" and another track ("Poor Leno") earned slots on over a dozen chillout compilations that year and the next. Their first full-length, Melody A.M., appeared in late 2001. After spending a few years performing live and remixing artists including Beck and Annie, Röyksopp returned with new material in 2005; the single "Only This Moment" heralded the summer release of the duos second album, The Understanding, which featured more traditionally structured songs than their earlier work. The live EP Röyksopps Night Out appeared a year later, and the third album -- Junior, their most upbeat set -- came in March 2009. Featuring guest vocalists Robyn, Karin Dreijer Andersson (the Knife, Fever Ray), Lykke Li, and Anneli Drecker (Bel Canto), the set topped the charts in Norway and marked their first appearance on the Billboard 200. It was followed, appropriately, by Senior, a relatively sedate album of all instrumentals released in 2010 that became the duos fourth consecutive number one album in their homeland. Late in 2013, they resurfaced with the single "Running to the Sea," a collaboration with Susanne Sundfør. The following May, their collaboration with Robyn, "Do It Again," balanced the duos lush, introspective sound with her commanding vocals. In September 2014 the duo advertised the forthcoming release of their fifth album, The Inevitable End, which they announced would be their last release "in the traditional album format." A darker, more high-energy affair, it was released in November of that year. The effort featured vocals by Sundfør ("Save Me" and "Running to the Sea"), Jamie Irrepressible ("You Know I Have to Go," "I Had This Thing," "Compulsion," and "Here She Comes Again"), and a reworked version of the single "Monument" with Robyn. In 2016, Röyksopp contributed to the Star Wars Headspace compilation with the track "Bounty Hunters" and also issued another Susanne Sundfør collaboration, "Never Ever." In 2019, Röyksopp kicked off their Lost Tapes series, releasing a rarity from the vault each month of the year. In addition to the first offering, "Rising Urge," they also unveiled another Sundfør track "In the End," which also featured Man Without Country. | ||
 | Album: 1 of 9 Title: Melody A.M. Released: 2001-10-08 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:42:35 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 So Easy (04:09) 2 Eple (03:35) 3 Sparks (05:25) 4 In Space (03:30) 5 Poor Leno (03:57) 6 A Higher Place (04:31) 7 Röyksopp’s Night Out (07:30) 8 Remind Me (03:39) 9 She’s So (05:23) 10 40 Years Back\Come (04:45) 1 Dont Go (07:21) 2 Poor Leno (Jakatta radio mix) (03:52) 3 Poor Leno (Silicone Souls hypno house dub) (08:10) 4 Remind Me (Someone Elses radio mix) (04:04) 5 Eple (Fatboy Slim remix) (05:50) 6 Eple (Shakedown club mix) (06:44) 7 Eple (Black Strobe remix) (06:12) 8 Sparks (Roni Size remix) (05:30) 9 Sparks (Murk Downtown Miami mix) (08:22) |
| Melody A.M. : Allmusic album Review : Chilled-out or downbeat acts swept through the electronic scene during 2001 and 2002, prompting dozens of identikit compilations, all conjuring up images of exhausted clubbers returning home early in the morning and enjoying a cup of tea or a smoke after a hectic night out. And although downtempo electronica had always been largely album-based, most of these trackmasters didnt do much on the full-length front. The Norwegian duo Röyksopp, however, displayed a careful hand with the boards on their 2001 debut Melody A.M.. Röyksopp balances the haunted atmospheres of Boards of Canada with the more traditional "songwriting" sensibility of downbeat specialists like Groove Armada or Koop. The opener is proof enough, with a chunky bassline undergirding the spooky, ethereal refrain from Bobby Vintons "Blue on Blue" recorded by some long-forgotten vocal chorus. Theres much of beauty on Melody A.M., very textured and imaginatively produced to sound like few of their contemporaries; its saying much to even admit that Röyksopp is occasionally the equal of such otherworldly acts as Boards of Canada or Goldfrapp. They seem a bit too indebted to the gauzy synths of 70s soundtracks, but there are a few good exceptions, like the distinctly 80s sense of artificial ethereality to the closer, "40 Years Back/Come." Picking up the ball right about where Air dropped it after Moon Safari, Röyksopp produced one of the most intriguing downbeat albums of the year. | ||
 | Album: 2 of 9 Title: The Understanding Released: 2005-06-22 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:23:45 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Triumphant (04:20) 2 Only This Moment (03:55) 3 49 Percent (05:11) 4 Sombre Detune (04:52) 5 Follow My Ruin (03:51) 6 Beautiful Day Without You (05:29) 7 What Else Is There? (05:17) 8 Circuit Breaker (05:24) 9 Alpha Male (08:11) 10 Someone Like Me (05:23) 11 Dead to the World (05:20) 12 Tristesse Globale (01:23) 1 Go Away (03:52) 2 Clean Sweep (05:17) 3 Boys (04:45) 4 Head (05:03) 5 Looser Now (06:04) |
| The Understanding : Allmusic album Review : When the Norwegian production duo Röyksopp dropped their first album, Melody A.M., it sounded as though they were on a stopover from another planet. Otherworldly samples and a crisp production sense combined to make the singles "Eple" and "Sparks" perfect examples of the downbeat form and near-ubiquitous inclusions on chillout compilations. As electronica artists from Biosphere to Boards of Canada had proved before them, a life away from the mainstream -- say, in the extreme northern climes of Europe -- was easily capable of freeing an artist from the demands of trendiness. Their second album, The Understanding, reveals a different focus: fascination with all manner of radio-ready European dance. Yes, Röyksopp are all grown up now. In their quest for maturity (as well as the ears of busy shoppers all over the Northern Hemisphere), the duo changed their distinctive sound in the process. The single "Only This Moment," a post-connubial duet between male and female, could perhaps have heralded the comeback of a middle-aged Aqua, while on "49 Percent" the duo struggle to emulate Underworlds "Pearls Girl" (while a bewitching vocal from Chelonis R. Jones rescues them from the brink). Nods to synth pop (Depeche Mode, Soft Cell), disco (Moroder), and electronica (Daft Punk, Boards of Canada) simply accentuate the overall mood, that Röyksopp have little left to say aside from what others have said more clearly in the past. | ||
 | Album: 3 of 9 Title: Röyksopp’s Night Out Released: 2006-01-30 Tracks: 9 Duration: 39:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 What Else Is There? (03:18) 2 Only This Moment (04:05) 3 Remind Me (03:47) 4 Sparks (05:09) 5 Poor Leno (Istanbul Forever take) (05:23) 6 Go Away (05:35) 7 Alpha Male (08:03) 8 Go With the Flow (03:13) 9 Teppefall (00:59) |
 | Album: 4 of 9 Title: Back to Mine: Röyksopp Released: 2007-04-02 Tracks: 20 Duration: 1:12:34 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes on) (03:34) 2 Sphinx (02:33) 3 One More Round (02:35) 4 Ma Quale Idea (03:54) 5 Above and Beyond (01:38) 6 Off Side (01:37) 7 Take a Chance (04:22) 8 Platinum (Part Three: Charleston) (01:20) 9 Meatball (02:53) 10 Thats Hot (04:25) 11 Legs (02:52) 12 3:am (12" version) (01:49) 13 Dirty Talk (03:08) 14 It Aint Easy (04:03) 15 Could Heaven Ever Be Like This (08:26) 16 Night People (New York club mix) (04:07) 17 Get Closer (vocal) (04:55) 18 Cant Be Serious (05:12) 19 Im Never Gonna Tell It (03:24) 20 Its Been a Long Time (05:39) |
| Back to Mine: Röyksopp : Allmusic album Review : Most entries in the Back to Mine series allow the artists to investigate their wide but dabbling tastes in influences -- a bit of dance, a bit of alternative, some roots in 60s pop or soul perhaps, and maybe a stray nugget from something obscure like Krautrock or dub or rockabilly. The other volumes usually come from true DJs or, rarely, those with something special to say. Regardless of whether you enjoy Röyksopps vision of polished downbeat pop, the duos interest in post-disco and Euro-dance pays major dividends here for those looking to hear something beyond the usual Klein + M.B.O. or Alexander Robotnick singles. The vast majority of the tracks hail from that magical time (1978-1984) when disco, new wave, and synth pop were colliding with fantastic results, especially considering the quality of these obscurities, from the cold Teutonic harmonies of Harry Thumanns "Sphinx" to the warmer Italian-lover sound of Pino dAngios "Ma Quale Idea." (Even the contemporary tracks sound vintage, led by the Röyksopp alias Emmanuel Splice.) The mix broadens toward the end with a couple of clever R&B/dance fusions (Idris Muhammad, Funkadelic, the New Birth). | ||
 | Album: 5 of 9 Title: Junior Released: 2009-03-18 Tracks: 12 Duration: 56:37 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify TrackSamples Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Happy Up Here (02:43) 2 The Girl and the Robot (04:29) 3 Vision One (04:59) 4 This Must Be It (04:41) 5 Röyksopp Forever (05:00) 6 Miss It So Much (05:01) 7 Tricky Tricky (05:59) 8 You Dont Have a Clue (04:33) 9 Silver Cruiser (04:36) 10 True to Life (05:50) 11 Its What I Want (03:09) 12 Were You Ever Wanted (05:37) |
| Junior : Allmusic album Review : Makers of sophisticated dance-pop with more than enough production finesse to intrigue electronica listeners, Röyksopp complete their transition from trip-hop maestros to electronic popsters on their third album, Junior. As on 2005s The Understanding, the melodies here are unmissable, whether theres a star vocal feature or not -- and, to signal their rising status, there are several here. Karin Dreijer of the Knife returns for two songs (including the dizzyingly Moroder-like "This Must Be It"), while Robyn makes her Röyksopp debut on "The Girl and the Robot" (which may or may not be an inter-life form torch song), and Lykke Li also makes a first appearance with "Miss It So Much" (also curiously robotic, with the lyric "My mechanical heart, how it tears me apart"). Besides the stars, Anneli Drecker of Bel Canto does the heavy lifting, lending her heavenly voice to four songs. Overall, the Röyksopp duo remain stellar producers, with a good handle on the three things most important to dance-pop: bewitching melodies, intriguing effects, and enough character to find a fanbase among the non-chart-buying public. (Their old standby, back in force here, is a squelchy synth bassline that creaks and shudders as it cycles through arpeggio after arpeggio). As in the past too, many of the usual stylistic signposts are passed -- Giorgio Moroder, Daft Punk, Air. In the end, Röyksopp remain among the best at middlebrow dance-pop, crafting music that can and will rule the supermarket aisles while still having a shelf-life longer than the canned ham youll find there. | ||
 | Album: 6 of 9 Title: Senior Released: 2010-09-08 Tracks: 9 Duration: 55:51 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 ...and the Forest Began to Sing (01:50) 2 Tricky Two (07:51) 3 The Alcoholic (05:10) 4 Senior Living (05:09) 5 The Drug (05:58) 6 Forsaken Cowboy (05:28) 7 The Fear (07:01) 8 Coming Home (05:05) 9 A Long, Long Way / The Final Day (12:15) |
| Senior : Allmusic album Review : Just as autumn must follow summer, Senior must follow Junior. Röyksopps poppy, peppy record from 2009, Junior included guest-star vocalists, bright effects, and catchy melodies; Röyksopps dreamy, downtempo record from 2010, Senior includes neither vocals nor much in the way of four-four beats. For those who jumped on the Junior bandwagon -- and there were a lot of jumpers, since it surpassed all of their earlier records on the charts -- the music here will be seen as formless mood music, for better or worse. For those who enjoyed Röyksopps earlier downbeat material, this might seem more like home, although it has less character and warmth than Melody A.M. or even The Understanding. Much of it is simply a sedate version of Junior; for instance, "The Alcoholic" could have easily been slotted on Junior if vocals were added and its tempo was increased slightly. Elsewhere, Röyksopp have created music of beauty, as on "The Fear" and "The Drug," two pieces whose slowly shifting effects and warm atmosphere conjure a pastoral paradise as only Röyksopp can. While some of the tracks sound like rough sketches that were simply given a bit more shading, most of Senior captivates as a full-length experience. | ||
 | Album: 7 of 9 Title: LateNightTales: Röyksopp Released: 2013-06-16 Tracks: 19 Duration: 1:17:39 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Daddy’s Groove (03:06) 2 Passing Through (04:23) 3 Light of Day (07:23) 4 In a Manner of Speaking (03:22) 5 Blade Runner Blues (04:42) 6 Ice Machine (04:42) 7 Odi et amo (03:12) 8 Music (03:01) 9 After the Goldrush (02:23) 10 Hello Beach Girls (03:40) 11 Stranger on the Shore (02:55) 12 Budapest by Blimp (04:58) 13 Love You Out of Your Mind (03:29) 14 Hands and Clouds (02:24) 15 Small Hours (06:32) 16 The Somnabulist (03:30) 17 ’Til I Gain Control (05:01) 18 Aguirre I Lacrime di Rei (04:35) 19 Flat of Angles, Part 2 (04:20) |
 | Album: 8 of 9 Title: Do It Again Released: 2014-05-23 Tracks: 5 Duration: 35:23 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Wikipedia Allmusic AlbumCover | 1 Monument (09:57) 2 Sayit (06:25) 3 Do It Again (05:06) 4 Every Little Thing (04:02) 5 Inside the Idle Hour Club (09:53) |
 | Album: 9 of 9 Title: The Inevitable End Released: 2014-11-07 Tracks: 17 Duration: 1:24:00 Scroll: Up Down Top Bottom 25% 50% 75% Spotify Allmusic Wikipedia AlbumCover | 1 Skulls (03:47) 2 Monument (The Inevitable End version) (04:47) 3 Sordid Affair (06:20) 4 You Know I Have to Go (07:35) 5 Save Me (04:37) 6 I Had This Thing (05:49) 7 Rong (02:33) 8 Here She Comes Again (05:02) 9 Running to the Sea (04:55) 10 Compulsion (06:59) 11 Coup de Grace (03:20) 12 Thank You (06:38) 1 Do It Again (RYXP version) (07:04) 2 Goodnite, Mr. Sweetheart (05:02) 3 Caramel Afternoon (02:20) 4 Oh No! (01:42) 5 Something in My Heart (05:29) |
| The Inevitable End : Allmusic album Review : Norwegian electro-pop wizards Röyksopp say goodbye to the album format with The Inevitable End, their fifth and purportedly final LP. In the four years since 2010s downbeat, mostly instrumental Senior, producers Svein Berge and Torbjørn Brundtland have continued to shift their focus toward singles and collaborations, working with Swedish pop star Robyn on a 2013 mini-album, offering up a pair of new tracks on their Late Night Tales compilation, and basically doing whatever their whimsy dictates. Their alignment with prominent European vocalists has been a recurring theme since their 2002 Erlend Øye (Kings of Convenience)-assisted breakthrough "Poor Leno," with each consecutive album (excepting Senior) boasting more and more cameos as they transitioned from chillout pioneers to pop songsmiths. In that respect, The Inevitable End plays like a revue of sorts with a vocal-heavy rotation of guests including Robyn, Susanne Sundfør, Jamie McDermott (the Irrepressibles), and Ryan James (Man Without Country). The inclusion of the 2013 Sundfør-fronted single "Running to the Sea" and a reworking of their Robyn collaboration "Monument" almost make it seem like theyve already moved past the inevitable end and become the singles-only act theyve alluded to, but there is a tangible enough thread connecting each of the tracks to make this curtain call a generally cohesive set. Among the vocal-fronted fare, the new version of "Monument" is truly a highlight, featuring Röyksopps trademark nasty bass-synth squelch and Robyns powerful (and thematically appropriate) declaration of "This will be my monument, this will be a beacon when Im gone." Likewise, the dreamy McDermott-led "You Know I Have to Go" also expresses a sort of elegant finality with a melody and vibe that recalls their early classic "Remind Me." McDermotts voice appears three more times on the album, sweetening each cut with his barrel-aged croon and acting as a sort of foil against the more aggressive tones of the Robyn-led songs. Bookending the album are three unassisted tracks that display the compositional flair, bite, wit, and dramatics that have made this duo so special over the past decade. Album-opener and lead single "Skulls" is possibly one of the darkest, most dangerous tracks Berge and Brundtland have ever produced, leaping out of the speakers with its low, gritty throb and menacing vocoder harmonies. On the back end, they close out their final act with the haunted Wendy Carlos-esque, "Moonlight Sonata" nod "Coup de Grace," which sets up the wistfully downbeat farewell track "Thank You," again utilizing their familiar vocoder harmonies to express words of gratitude, friendship, and loyalty. Its a strong finale in the duos signature style and whether or not this truly is the end or merely the end of their album era, The Inevitable End sits among the best in Röyksopps catalog. | ||