Röyksopp MELODY A.M. (ASTRALWERKS)

The Norwegian duo Röyksopp construct a fairly flawless model of what chill-out electronica should sound like — light on the beats but heavy on texture and atmosphere. Tracks like "Eple" and "A Higher Place" are dominated by keyboards that conjure aural images of everything from a dripping faucet to a starry night. On the accurately titled "In Space," Torbjorn Brundtland and Svein Berge create orchestral swells that blanket the barely perceptible pulses that lend the track its easygoing tempo. "Röyksopp’s Night Out" alternates gothic string arrangements with funky disco cadences to capture the ebb and flow of a night on the town. Even the disc’s most upbeat tracks are subtle enough to evoke house-music grooves without breaking the trancey spell of Melody A.M. The result, on "Poor Leno," a European hit for Röyksopp that features vocals by Erlend Oye of Norway’s Kings of Convenience, is an infectious mix of flowing synth lines and clattering, steel-drum rhythms that’s urbane enough for a martini bar but lively enough for the dance floor.