Metascore
81

Universal acclaim - based on 21 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 21
  2. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Quite unlike any other chill out album you're likely to hear, 'Melody AM' takes low rider funk and splices it with 80s synth-pop ambience and analogue dub techniques to create a truly inspiring epic pop landscape which neither strays into questionable light classical territories, nor worrying prog rock terrain.
  2. But even when hitting on well-worn genre exercises, the duo tweaks its formula in small ways that lead to big returns.
  3. The music is a spectral combination of bleepy 80s synths, lightly crunching backbeats and dreamy vocals; the mood is pure post-clubbing afterglow, in bed with your loved one, in some snowbound Ikea log cabin.
  4. Unlike the playgrounds inhabited by those chillout bands--and other post-Air types, for that matter--the rhythms aren’t just here to keep time. Instead, they add texture and purpose, swinging from chunky bass lines to dub soundscapes.
  5. Röyksopp are, ultimately, too beautiful to hate and too harmless to really love.
  6. 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.
  7. Melody A.M., sweet dreams are made of bliss.
  8. Like debuts from Zero 7 and the Avalanches, Melody A.M. is well-situated to sit pretty in many critics' annual top 10s come December.
  9. Wildly experimental and unique, Melody A.M. belongs in the collections of fans of lush keyboard instrumentation, '70s soul, new age and Boards of Canada-style strangeness alike.
  10. 80
    Unlike most acts who tend to get over-hyped and fall far short of expectations, Norway's Röyksopp does not disappoint.
  11. Röyksopp is masterful at generating good, mood music.
  12. Nu electro, crunchy big beat, oddball Irish jigs, Royksopp covers a lot of territory but always with its signature, blissful blend.
  13. Even when hitting on well-worn genre exercises, the duo tweaks its formula in small ways that lead to big returns.
  14. Röyksopp is savvy at pulling out the joker in the pack just when the music threatens to become cutesy.
  15. Alternative Press
    70
    When these Norwegians try to make more conventional haunted soul-diva stuff, it sounds rote by comparison.... But when they follow their own muses, they come up with genius tracks like "Remind Me." [Dec 2002, p.96]
  16. Mixer
    90
    A work of exquisite, afterparty brilliance. [Oct 2002, p.84]
  17. Blender
    80
    [They] channel post-adolescent despair into 10 groove-centric tracks that will gladden anyone who misses Play-era Moby. [#11, p.141]
  18. Q Magazine
    80
    Without a single piece of filler here, this is the musical equivalent of meeting a stranger you feel you've known all your life. [Nov 2001, p.128]
  19. Urb
    70
    [The appeal] is in the warm, '70s synths that float melodies into the druggy stratosphere, giving the band's shifty downtempo rhythms and vaguely experimental production a retro-sexy touch. [Nov 2002, p.98]
  20. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    Settles into a stream of pastoral, boutique techno that's both soothing and derivative. [1 Nov 2002, p.70]
User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 47 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 43 out of 47
  2. Negative: 3 out of 47
  1. Jan 29, 2018
    8
    One of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard. It’s so ethereal and was a great debut album for them. Every track is so beautiful and isOne of the greatest albums I’ve ever heard. It’s so ethereal and was a great debut album for them. Every track is so beautiful and is different, so nothing seems to be copied. My one complaint is one of the tracks is too boring and kinda goes bad, but I won’t spoil Full Review »
  2. Jun 18, 2012
    10
    A beautiful and harmonious blend of sounds from past and present. Eleven years after its release can be said that this album remains asA beautiful and harmonious blend of sounds from past and present. Eleven years after its release can be said that this album remains as current as it was in 2001. Full Review »
  3. josifd
    Aug 10, 2005
    10
    this is a great album