Brundtland and Berge were schoolmates in their hometown Tromsø, experimenting with electronic instruments in the early 90s and being a part of their city's techno scene. As they grew up in northern Norway, they listened to local artists like Bel Canto and Biosphere. The band has also expressed their interest in the music of Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Giorgio Moroder, Art of Noise, Vangelis, Erik Satie, and Francis Lai. They were members of various electro acts in their youth, such as Alanïa, Drum Island and Aedena Cycle. After recording as part of Aedena Cycle, Berge and Brundtland left the group to form their own band, Röyksopp.
In 8 October 2001, Röyksopp released their debut album Melody A.M. on Wall of Sound label. This critically acclaimed downtempo album reached #1 in Norway charts, #9 in UK Albums Chart, #18 in US Top Electronic Albums. Melody A.M. spawned five singles: "So Easy" (released in 1999, re-released in 2002), "Eple" (released in July 2001, re-released in 24 February 2003; #16 UK), "Poor Leno", featuring Erlend Øye (released in 3 December 2001, re-released on 18 November 2002; #38 UK), "Remind Me", featuring Erlend Øye (5 August 2002; #21 UK), and "Sparks", featuring Anneli Drecker (2003; #41 UK).
The band became famous for their original music videos (the infographic-styled video by French company H5 for the track "Remind Me", won the 2002 MTV Europe Music Award for best music video). The single "Eple" (meaning "apple") was used by Apple Inc. as the music for the startup video for Mac OS X 10.3.
In 4 July 2005, the band issued their sophomore album The Understanding on Wall of Sound. The album was preceded by the hit single "Only This Moment", featuring Kate Havnevik (27 June 2005; #33 UK). Another four singles followed: "49 Percent" (26 September 2005; #55 UK), "Curves" (non-album single; 3 October 2005), "What Else Is There?", featuring Karin Dreijer of The Knife (5 December 2005; #4 Norway, #32 UK) and "Beautiful Day Without You" (26 June 2006).
Röyksopp's Night Out EP was released in 27 February 2006 and it contains live recordings from a concert in Norway, Rockefeller (Oslo) in November 2005. The album contains a new dance version of their single "Sparks" and a reinterpretation of the song "Go With the Flow”, originally by Queens of the Stone Age. In 5 March 2007, the group issued Back to Mine: Röyksopp, a compilation album from the Back to Mine series, compiled and mixed by the band.
On 23 March 2009, Röyksopp released their third album Junior on Wall of Sound. Röyksopp have invited several guest artists, like Robyn, Anneli Drecker, Karin Dreijer, Lykke Li, to perform on various songs from Junior. The first single "Happy Up Here" was released on 19 January 2009 (digital)/16 March 2009 (vinyl) and peaked on #3 in Norway and on #44 in UK. Another two singles supported the album' sales: "The Girl And The Robot", featuring Robyn (15 June 2009; #2 Norway) and "This Must Be It", featuring Karin Dreijer (2 November 2009).
Since 2010, the band started posting on their official site new exclusive songs available for free download (usually a song every month), known as Röyksopp.com Track Of The Month.
In 13 September 2010, Röyksopp released the fourth album Senior, the atmospheric counterpart of Junior. The first single from the album, "The Drug", was released on 9 August 2010.
Official site: http://www.royksopp.com
After the Goldrush
Röyksopp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
a queen
There were peasants singing and drummers drumming and the archer split
the tree
There was a fanfare blowing to the sun that was floating on the breeze
Look at mother nature on the run in the nineteen-seventies
I was lying in a burned out basement with a full moon in my eyes
I was hoping for a replacement when the sun burst through the skies
I was thinking about what a friend had said I was hoping it was a lie
Thinking about what a friend had said I was hoping it was a lie
Well I dreamed i saw the silver spaceships flying in the yellow haze of
the sun
There were children crying and colors flying all around the chosen one
All in a dream, all in a dream the loading had begun
They were flying mother nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun
Flying mother nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun
The lyrics in Röyksopp's "After the Goldrush" are intensely descriptive of a dream, but they carry deep analogies that the listener can interpret. The lyrics show an apocalyptic vision that is surrounded by knights with swords, peasants with drums, and archers carrying their bows. The singer mentions a queen and states the significance of the fanfare blowing towards the sun, which was floating on the breeze. The lyrics depict a picture of a world stripped of civilization and instead united in primitive celebration, with people playing music and rejoicing in mystical revelry. The symbolism behind this imagery is quite complex, and layers around concepts of war and conquest, perhaps hinting that the warfare outdid humanity, and that a new era of prosperity was beckoning.
The song's lyrics go further to detail the dream's narrator's experience in a burned-out basement, lying in exhaustion with a full moon in his eyes. He hopes for a new life with the sun's rays but is also terrified by the band playing in his head. In this line, the band-playing may refer to the singer's inner voice, which may hint that the dream was a vision of his inner demons. The last part of the song is the most emotional, where the singer sees silver spaceships flying in the yellow hazy sun, and children are crying, and colors are flying. This line could be hinting at the possibilities of making a new and less harmful world in a new place. However, the tone of children crying could reflect the end of someone precious or the youthful innocence of the world on the brink of destruction.
Line by Line Meaning
Well I dreamed I saw the knights in armour coming saying something about a queen
The dreamer imagined seeing an army of knights dressed in armours that were heading towards a queen, and they seemed to be saying something to her.
There were peasants singing and drummers drumming and the archer split the tree
In the dream, there were common people who were singing and playing drums while an archer split a tree, possibly to celebrate a victory.
There was a fanfare blowing to the sun that was floating on the breeze
A fanfare was playing by the musicians, and the sound was carried on the breeze towards the sun that was floating above them.
Look at mother nature on the run in the nineteen-seventies
The dreamer observes that nature is changing rapidly during the 1970s, and it seems to be struggling to keep up with the changes happening around it.
I was lying in a burned out basement with a full moon in my eyes
The dreamer finds themselves lying in a basement that has been burned out, with only the full moon shining down on them.
I was hoping for a replacement when the sun burst through the skies
The dreamer was hoping to be replaced or rescued when suddenly the sun appeared in the sky.
There was a band playing in my head and I felt like getting high
The dreamer hears music playing in their head, and it makes them feel like they want to get high.
I was thinking about what a friend had said I was hoping it was a lie
The dreamer is recalling something that their friend had told them and is hoping that it was not true.
Thinking about what a friend had said I was hoping it was a lie
The dreamer repeats the same thought as in the previous line.
Well I dreamed i saw the silver spaceships flying in the yellow haze of the sun
The dreamer saw silver spaceships flying in the bright yellow rays of the sun.
There were children crying and colors flying all around the chosen one
The dreamer saw children crying while colorful objects were flying around a chosen person or thing.
All in a dream, all in a dream the loading had begun
All of these events were a part of a dream, and the loading had commenced to take the dreamer on a journey.
They were flying mother nature's silver seed to a new home in the sun
The silver spaceships were carrying mother nature's silver seed to a new home that was located on or near the sun.
Lyrics © Broken Arrow Music, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: Neil Young
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@Errrjoaco
Serenity exists! Thanks Royksopp, what a nice song!
@richardmozejko3115
100
@Michael-de-Jong
This version is not from Röyksopp but from Prelude.
@Jacam781
Indeed, but it's from a compilation put together by Royskopp, which they therefore put their name to.