Reviews:

No sooner does a downtempo act with some sizeable musical chops and a penchantfor soothing yet funky atmospheres present itself nowadays than thousands oflisteners worldwide flock to the source of the sound. This time they'veheaded all the way out to the snowy steppes of Norway, where Svein Berge andTorbjørn Brundtland of the production outfit Röyksopp have beenquietly churning out hit after hit, not to mention remixes for people like Mobyand Felix Da Housecat. The momentum has been silently building towards a full-lengthlike this, and indeed, Melody A.M. finds Brundtland and Berge well versed inthe universal language of laid-back grooves, even adding a touch of pop savvyinto the mixture as well. Indeed, it's a pretty nice way to greet the morning.

You'd probably have to be deaf if you haven't heard at least one ofthese songs at your average club, but just in case you haven't, this albumprovides a great opportunity to catch up. The infectiously catchy and quirky"Eple" (or "Apple" for the rest of us) shows that its sprightlymuscle translates well shaken or stirred, and "Remind Me" borrowsthe voice of Erland Øye from the Kings of Convenience for a pearly-grayprance through the backwaters of memory. But pretty much every track on thisLP, from the deep house smash "Poor Leno" (another Øye highlight)to "Sparks," shines through with its own undeniable spirit. Hard-to-pronouncename or not (and in case you're wondering, it translates roughly into "mushroomcloud") Röyksopp has no trouble whatsoever in translating its wonderfulmeaning here.