Röyksopp: Collection (2003-2014)

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Röyksopp: Collection (2003-2014)

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Norwegian duo Röyksopp compensated for the cold climes of their native Tromsø by making some of the warmest, most inviting downbeat electronica of the 21st century, exemplified by early tracks like "Eple" and "Poor Leno." 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 up to the big beat label Wall of Sound. The Röyksopp debut was 2001's Eple single; both "Eple" and another track ("Poor Leno") earned slots on over a dozen chillout compilations that year or 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 duo's second album, The Understanding, which featured more traditionally structured songs than their earlier work.

The live EP Röyksopp's Night Out appeared a year later, and the third album – Junior, their most upbeat set – came in March 2009. It was followed, appropriately, by Senior, a relatively sedate album of all instrumentals released in 2010 that became the duo's 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 duo's 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 than before, it was released in November of that year.

by John Bush, AMG

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Röyksopp: Collection (2003-2014)

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Röyksopp: Collection (2003-2014)

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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 didn't 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 Vinton's "Blue on Blue" recorded by some long-forgotten vocal chorus. There's much of beauty on Melody A.M., very textured and imaginatively produced to sound like few of their contemporaries; it's 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.

by John Bush, AMG

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Röyksopp: Collection (2003-2014)

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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 Underworld's "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.

by John Bush, AMG

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Röyksopp: Collection (2003-2014)

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Röyksopp: Collection (2003-2014)

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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 2005's The Understanding, the melodies here are unmissable, whether there's 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 you'll find there.

by John Bush, AMG

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Röyksopp: Collection (2003-2014)

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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 2010's 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 they've already moved past the inevitable end and become the singles-only act they've 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 Röyksopp's trademark nasty bass-synth squelch and Robyn's powerful (and thematically appropriate) declaration of "This will be my monument, this will be a beacon when I'm 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." McDermott's 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. It's a strong finale in the duo's 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 Röyksopp's catalog.

by Timothy Monger, AMG