Kings of Convenience
Virgin/EMI
(2009)

Since their 2001 debut Quiet Is the New Loud, Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe have had a fruitful musical partnership. Gentle harmonies, intricate guitar arrangements and eloquent songwriting have always been the duo’s strengths, and with their third studio release, they show no signs of stagnation. Imagine cold winters in Norway, from where the Kings of Convenience originate, and the sensation of a warm hearth and hot tea. There is something undeniably therapeutic about the music, where whisper-soft vocals, violin strings and rhythmic guitar make for contemplative and mature listening.

The way the two Norwegians enunciate their lyrics should be an object lesson in eloquent oration. They treat their words like delicate silk, not allowing the instrumentals to drown out their songwriting. Declaration of Dependence features lyrics about unrequited love, political protest and self-purpose, but given the strain of well-articulated melancholy, you’d be hard-pressed to notice the exact sentiments of the songs without their lyrics. There are little signs of Erlend Øye’s more electronic and dance-leaning side project Whitest Boy Alive. Instead, you get classic Kings of Convenience in all their understated musicality. The bossa nova-inflected “Mrs. Cold” and “Boat Behind” make for brief upbeat breaks to the rest of the album, but the central tension and feeling of the album is about reconciliation — that between friends, lovers, strangers and societies.

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http://www.kingsofconvenience.com/

http://www.myspace.com/kingsofconvenience

via Abe Ahn, 8 November 2009 8:54pm | |