RÖYKSOPP MELODY A.M ALBUM WALL OF SOUND RELEASE: OCTOBER 8, 2001 REVIEW: NOVEMBER 14, 2001

We are not spoiled with great Norwegian ambient pop, that's for sure. But suddenly out of the blue comes Röyksopp, consisting of Svein Berge and Torbjörn Brundtland.
They have made an album filled with catchy semi ambient pop songs and rhythms; so catchy your head will start to bob up and down without you even noticing it. I really don't know how to describe this wild concoction of infectious house music, synthpop, and ambient other than comparing them to The Orb mixed with Erasure. Nah, that's not quite right either. But these are sing-a-long songs even though most of them are instrumental!
Some tracks have vocals and they fit well. Whether it is the soulful, trip-hoppy "Sparks" where Bel Canto's Anneli Drecker takes care of the mic, or the deliciously bouncy "Remind Me" with vocals by Erlend Öye. Every song has ingeniously designed little synth melodies, that really lift them high above other music residing in the charts today. The charts are probably where you have heard the single "Eple", by the way. This is another instrumental with a melody digging itself deep into your conscience.
It's nice to see so much good music coming out of Norway today. Bands like Briskeby, Apoptygma Berzerk, Echo Image are already established, and now Röyksopp (which means puff-ball mushroom, in case you were wondering) is the current hype.

JOHAN CARLSSON