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
Small Hours
Röyksopp Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You've been walking the line and you've been living on solid air
Don't know what's going 'round inside
And I can tell you that it's hard to hide when you're living on solid air
You've been painting the blues and you've been looking through solid air
You've been seeing it through and you've been looking through solid air
Don't know what's going 'round in your mind
I know you, I love you
And I can be your friend, I can follow you anywhere
Even through solid air
You've been stoning it cold, you've been living on solid air
You've been finding it cold, you've been living on solid air
I don't know what's going on inside
I can tell you that it's hard to hide when you're living on solid air
You've been getting too deep, you've been living on solid air
You've been missing your sleep and you've been moving through solid air
I don't know what's going on in your mind
But I know you don't like what you find when you're moving through solid air
You've been walking your line, you've been walking on solid air
You've been taking your time but you've been walking on solid air
Don't know what's going on inside
But I can tell you that it's hard to hide when you're living on solid air
The lyrics of Röyksopp's song "Small Hours" describe a situation where someone is struggling to cope and understand their own thoughts and emotions. The repeated phrase "living on solid air" represents this feeling of being stuck in a state of uncertainty and ambiguity, where things are not quite clear, and it's hard to find a way forward. The lyrics suggest that the person in question has been trying different ways to fill that uncertainty, such as painting or stoning it cold, but ultimately, it has led to a state of deep confusion and sleeplessness. The repetition of "Don't know what's going 'round" and "I don't know what's going on in your mind" highlights the frustrating feeling of not being able to grasp what's happening or how to move forward.
The chorus, "I know you, I love you, and I can be your friend," represents a sense of empathy and compassion for the person who is struggling. It suggests that, even though the situation is difficult, someone is there to support and follow them, even through the uncertainty of solid air. The final lines, "You've been walking your line, you've been taking your time, but you've been walking on solid air," evoke a sense of resilience and determination, suggesting that even though the situation is tough, the person is still moving forward, one step at a time.
Line by Line Meaning
You've been taking your time and you've been living on solid air
You've been moving slowly through life without a clear direction, almost as if you're floating aimlessly without really knowing where you're going.
You've been walking the line and you've been living on solid air
You've been putting in the effort to follow a certain path, but there's a sense that you're not entirely connected with reality and you're not really sure if you're heading in the right direction.
Don't know what's going 'round inside
And I can tell you that it's hard to hide when you're living on solid air
There's a certain level of confusion or internal conflict happening within you, but because you're not entirely present in the moment, it's difficult to keep these feelings to yourself.
You've been painting the blues and you've been looking through solid air
You've been using creative outlets to try to process and express the difficult emotions you're experiencing, but there's a sense that you're not entirely in touch with the reality of your situation.
You've been seeing it through and you've been looking through solid air
You've been trying to see things clearly and gain a better understanding of your situation, but there's a sense of detachment or a lack of clarity that's making this difficult.
I know you, I love you
And I can be your friend, I can follow you anywhere
Even through solid air
Despite your current struggles and feelings of disconnect, I care about you deeply and I'm willing to be there for you no matter what, even if it means navigating through difficult or unclear situations with you.
You've been stoning it cold, you've been living on solid air
You've been finding it cold, you've been living on solid air
There's a sense of emotional numbness or detachment from your surroundings, almost as if you're not fully present in your own life and the world around you feels distant or unfeeling.
You've been getting too deep, you've been living on solid air
You've been missing your sleep and you've been moving through solid air
Your struggles and internal conflicts have become overwhelming and are starting to affect your daily life, making it difficult to rest or find peace in your thoughts.
You've been walking your line, you've been walking on solid air
You've been taking your time but you've been walking on solid air
You're putting in the effort to stay on course and move forward, but there's a sense of uncertainty and disconnection from reality that's making this difficult.
Don't know what's going on inside
But I can tell you that it's hard to hide when you're living on solid air
The internal turmoil you're experiencing is difficult to keep hidden from others, despite not fully understanding or being able to articulate what's going on inside yourself.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JOHN MARTYN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Turkish4224
can't decide if I like Royksopp's compilation more or the one from The Cinematic Orchestra; anyway both are gorgeous; i very much appreciate the fact that I was able to purchase those directly from you in lossless format thank you
thirdeyeopen
only just discovered the late night tales series a couple weeks ago and have already listened through six.
this series is amazing and i will continue to support it and track down every vinyl until i have them all.
thank you guys for your beautiful music
Val Keane
Yeah the Cinematic Orchestra one is excellent.
lowskye
If I see that cat one more time
Nick Sollheim
Nice!