Those who recall R?yksopp from a decade ago as a chill-out act whose debut album, Melody AM, sold a million copies after their music featured on umpteen TV ads might be shocked by the band who now trade under the same name. The personnel haven’t changed — the Norwegian duo Torbj?rn Brundtland and Svein Berge still anchor the band, though guest singers come and go — but their coffee table beats have morphed into tough techno and electro and their once shy, on-stage behaviour has vanished in favour of dressing up as Darth Vader.
Released in the spring, R?yksopp’s third album, Junior, was one of this year’s least expected highlights — its predecessor, The Understanding (2005), was a commercial flop, despite moving the band into