I started writing this in May 2005. I had much more of it written but I forgot to save and my browser crashed or I accidently opened a new site or something so I lost everything and then got discouraged about the whole post and stopped writing it…

Last summer when it was really hot out (probably sometime around July or August), I saw Röyksopp‘s album Melody A.M. in the used CD bin at, I would assume, my favorite music store: Everyday Music. I’ve known that I’ve wanted this album for years (yes, literally, years — the album came out in 2002), but for whatever reason I put off buying the album, assuming it would be another disappointing attempt to re-capture the magic of Air’s Moon Safari (which both Zero 7 and Air themselves have failed to do), so I never went out of my way to buy Melody A.M. For whatever reason, I changed my mind that day.

Wow, was I lucky.

Now, whenever I listen to the masterpiece that is Röyksopp’s debut album, I will be reminded of baths, late summer nights, humidity, and vanilla candles… ahh nostalgia for summers past.

Here is a track-by-track justification for why I think Melody A.M. is one of my favorite albums:

1. “So Easy”
   A.k.a. “Who are you?” What do the lyrics “Who are you?” have to do with the title “So Easy”? Good question. Nonetheless, this is a pretty good opener for the album. The first ten seconds of the song turn from a distorted, warbling fuzz into the clunk-clunk-clunk of a bell or something that turns into the basic beat throughout the song. That clunk-clunk-clunk sound (okay, so I’m not a musician, obviously…) remains as constant during the song as the “Who are you?” minimanlist lyrics. Despite these reptitious elements, however, the song is punctuated with that strange warbling noise from the opening of the song and other random bleeps and noises. What I don’t like about this song is how toward the end there is a little voice recording (which is okay), but then the song turns into “Eple,” which is a great song, but I don’t like that seemless-track stuff.
2. “Eple”
   This was the first Röyksopp song I heard. I think next to “Poor Leno,” it’s their most successful so far. There aren’t any lyrics to the song, so just image drifting through clouds or something trippy and happy. This is a total happy and relaxing song. Seriously, it reminds me of skipping or something like that.
3. “Sparks”
   A woman named Anneli Drecker does the vocals for this song. She’s Norwegian (like Röyksopp themselves). In this song, her voice quivers — especially when she sings, “It’s those tiny little spots” and “It may rain or it may shine.” This is a sad love song about being alone. When I first heard it, this was probably one of my favorite songs on the album because it was so emotional. The production totally reminds me of a trip-hop song, what with the slow beats and loops.
4. “In Space”
5. “Poor Leno”
6. “A Higher Place”
7. “Röyksopp’s Night Out”
8. “Remind Me”
9. “She’s So”
10. “40 Years Back/Come”