this week for the weekly review, we’re taking a look at another debut record – this time, it’s Melody A.M., released in 2001 by Norwegian group Röyksopp. let’s check it out!

So Easy is a delightful little opening track. love the strong percussive core and the way the rest of the track just kind of drifts around it. Eple has some great little synth loops in it – really fun track. Sparks sounded really familiar to me, but i’m not sure where i could place it. p solid track. In Space is a notably spacier track – lotta like, empty atmosphere to this track. extremely calming. Poor Leno is one of those tracks that when i heard it i was like “oh i’ve definitely heard this track or a remix before” – extremely good track. A Higher Place gets places that really interest me, but it takes like half the runtime of the track to catch me. Röyksopp’s Night Out breaks the mold a bit – feels like a very cinematic track, a lot higher tension. very neat. Remind Me was the big big hit off this album, and damn yeah i immediately knew it when i heard it, big fan of this one. LOVE the sax on She’s So, haha. not an all the time track but it does hit real well. 40 Years Back / Come closes us out, and while appropriate might be my least fave on the record.

faves – Eple, Poor Leno, Remind Me
dislikes –

it was bizarre to check this record out and realize not just that i knew a few tracks already, but also that a bunch of stuff, mostly the singles, from this record was used in a lot of places where i probably digested it in the backround, like in ads or remixes. definitely wild to read into just how many places this record brought electronic music. extremely neat!

and yeah i had a good time with it. very pleasant, spacey tones across the whole record, with some neat hooks and some great percussive elements to tracks. definitely a record i could revisit again when i need something subtle and quiet and beautiful.

Melody A.M. – 7/10


next week, i’ll be checking out another Radiohead record, this time it’s Kid A. i’ll be back next Friday, May 19th with that review and to pick another weekly record, and in the meantime, let me know what album you’d like me to review! (i pool all suggestions in one place, and draw a person, then one pick from that person, so feel free to drop as many as you’d like! if you leave an email or username i’ll contact you when i’ve gotten through all your suggestions.)