If I had my own radio station - Royksopp

Northern Europe continues to churn out unique music. Such as the group Royksopp. This Norwegian group is known for their downtempo brand of electronica. I would put them in the same league as Nightmares on Wax, or Air.

It all starts with their first full-length album, Melody A.M. I find some of the lesser tracks on this album a little abrasive, but they are few and far in between. It’s hard to find an electronica album that has enough varied and competent material to make owning it worthwhile, versus waiting for the stand-out song to make it onto the latest compilation album, but Melody A.M. is one of the exceptions. Beauties like Sparks, with its organic and soulful synth groove make it all worthwhile. Poor Leno has a cool video, but before having seen the imagery in it, I used to imagine a convertible screaming down the coast highway in California through Big Sur. She’s So is like the love child of Pink Floyd and Jean Michel Jarre, both of which I am a huge fan of – so that’s a good thing. Remind Me has a very Parisien feel to it - the kind of tune you'd expect to back up a program about touring France.

Royksopp released a new album in 2005, The Understanding. This is a new sound for the duo, very Euro-dance club. It’s not bad, but it seems to draw too much inspiration from others that have gone before, rather than forging new territory. 49 Percent will be trotted out as the first single, which will do well in the dance clubs - but was deleted from my playlist within a few weeks - it just seemed too indulgent. Alpha Male starts off as another Jarre-esque piece, but then the jets come on after a two and a half minute build up (not to worry - the tune is eight minutes long). What Else is There is a return to older form, with a nice Bjork-like vocal thrown in for good measure. Someone Like Me and Beautiful Day Without You round out the other high points of this latest work by Royksopp.