Customer Reviews

Riot On An Empty Street

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It must be tough to follow up a success such as "Quiet is the New Loud", and many people feared that Kings of Convenience would be a one-off as the band members each got stuck into other projects - Erlend Øye went solo with an ambient project, and Eirik Glambæk Bøe concentrated on his studies (in psychology, I think). But here it is: The long awaited follow up. And it's a very pleasant listen.

This sort of subtle, acoustic music never really goes out of style. You could just as easily give this album to your mother or even grandmother and they'd probably enjoy it just as much as you do (yikes!). That doesn't much sound like a good recommendation for a pop record ... but it is. The crisp clean production and first-rate musicianship makes this a treat to listen to, even though the harmonies are the oldest in the book, but also probably the most immediately pleasing for exactly that reason. This time the duo invite a French female guest writer and vocalist Feist for some variation - which works really well.

Take Simon and Garfunkel - add a bit of jazzy stuff here and there and a bit more melancholy in some places, and you have a pretty good general idea of what this record has to offer. I don't understand, though, why some reviewers find this only mopey - but then again I am familiar with Erlend and Eiriks home town where the weather is always rainy. We do nothing but stare out of rainsplashed windows all year (well, almost). And I know that this is when you want something as soothing as this on your stereo: While you make a cup of hot tea and read the paper, or invite some close friends around for a quiet, home-cooked meal. But it's equally good to rest your sleepy head to on a sunny, lazy summer afternoon: "Gold in the air of summer", indeed.

I'm also already waiting in anticipation for the Röyksopp dance remix of "I'd rather dance" - probably the catchiest uptempo tune on this record. (Röyksopp, can you hear me??)

In a day and age where musical artists come and go and pop acts are a dime-a-dozen, Kings of Convenience are a refreshing change of pace.

Beautifully minimal without the copious electronics, overdubbing, and processing that most music goes through these days, it's nice to hear a couple guys and a guitar making great music.

When I first heard them, I immediately though of Simon and Garfunkle in terms of their asthetic and songwriting similarities. These guys have a little more pop sensibility about them, as witnessed in tracks like "Sorry or Please", "Love It No Big Truth", and "I'd Rather Dance With You."

Like most great music I come across, I discovered these guys purely by accident. I found a remix of one of their tracks which of course lead me to check out the band's original work. I was immediately impressed with their lyrical, vocal, and musical sensibilities and have been listening to this album non-stop for days.

The only reason I gave this disc 4 stars was because there are 2-3 tracks that sound too similar to one another.

Check out the samples and you'll quickly see what a refreshing change of pace Kings of Convenience are. They come highly recommended.

Keep this to a hush, but there is a new, so far unnamed sub-genre in Rock `n Roll. We'll name it "Whisper Rock" and let the trendoids follow. It is basically self-explanatory. Pretty, understated, acoustic or quietly electronic music, whether upbeat or melancholy, with vocals rarely rising above the conversational tones of the late, great Mr. Rogers or Captain Kangaroo. This music may have its antecedents with the likes of The Fleetwoods or Donovan or, going back a bit further, 12th Century Monks, but it seems to have begat the recent likes of Cat Power and Iron and Wine and Belle and Sebastian and a slew of others including this Norwegian duo, Erland Oye and Eric Glambek Boe (those "o"s should have Scandanavian slashes through them) slightly better known as Kings of Convenience. These guys have written a batch of lovely, catchy tunes sung in graceful 2-part harmony in impeccable English, no less. The only additional voice is that of a female named simply Feist whose 2 small, sweet contributions certify the album as a keeper.

The Kings Of Convenience: soulful, sensitive, Scandinavian (tick all that apply).

Norwegian duo Erlend ?ye (the earnest, bespectacled one) and Eirik Glambek B?e (the enigmatic, hunky one) channel Simon and Garfunkel in Riot On An Empty Street, the follow-up to their critically acclaimed debut Quiet Is The New Loud.

In fact, Homesick and Gold In The Air Of Summer capture the melodic spirit of the folk duo so uncannily and so beautifully, that for a moment I thought I was listening to the wrong CD. Either that, or to a Simon and Garfunkel covers band.

The gentle strumming of the acoustic, nylon and steel string guitars set the offbeat, folksy mood as the duo sing together, one 'high voice', the other 'low voice', of the usual melancholy and suffering for love and art, with cut-out-and-stick-on-your-fridge axioms like "a song for someone who needs somewhere to long for" (Homesick), "love is no big truth, driven by our genes, we are selfish human beings" (Love Is No Big Truth), and the "summer child that sits by the water, weaving sunlight threads in his hands" (Live Long).

Interspersed between the occasionally austere folk songs are fleet-footed melodies and whimsical words, but the messages remain consistent: gentle advice ("A friend is not a means you utilize to get somewhere", Misread) and sepia-tinted, idealised memories ("These canals, it seems, they all go in circles, places look the same, and we're the only difference", Cayman Islands). A guest appearance by the current-toast-of-Paris/Jane Birkin-look-a-like Feist on Know-How only cements the album's chic-ness.

The Kings Of Convenience have an undeniable appeal to those who adore fruit-infused tea, minimalist furniture and staring out through blurred windowpanes on dreary rainy days.

This band takes time to write well crafted, sedate, meditative songs, synthesizing such influences as Simon and Garfunkel, Prefab Sprout, and Astrud Gilberto. With a whispering, plaintive voice, the vocalist breathes lightly over mostly acoustic guitar arrangements with easy-listing bossa nova beat. The result is a second album that's easy to listen to, very atmospheric, and very thoughtful. So why only four stars? Like the first album, this one doesn't get much play because there's a sameness and a monotony to the songs. Still, if you want to bliss out for an hour, it's hard to do better. If you like blissing out to slow, melancholy songs, you might also check out Just for a Day by Slowdive and the albums of Mojave 3.

Biography, written on the KINGS OF CONVENIENCE homepage starts with a phrase :"Late nights by the window." And later it describes a house in a Norwegian town, not anything fancy, but simple and common. And it says: "it was in the old, white house, on the bench just by the window, that ERLEND and EIRIK for the first time hit these thoughtful mellow sound; the quiet quitar harmonies and substantial lyrics that later would become their trademark as aknowledged songwriters." Thoughtful mellow sound, the quiet quitar harmonies. Enough said.

The world of KINGS OF CONVENIENCE is not fancy and bragging but simple and beautiful. You can't find big bright hits here, but a mellow, pleasant flow. The album is not anything, that you will notice first among your cd-s, but the world on KINGS OF CONVENIENCE is beautiful-beautiful, when you get into it! It's kind and warm.

The biography on the page ends as: "... drinking tea, making songs that makes the world stop and listen."

I'm late in discovering this, I know, but better late than never. Kings of Convenience are Norwegian duo Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, and their gentle, caressing guitar driven folk/jazz with wistful harmonies is highly remniscent of Simon & Garfunkel.

"Riot on an empty street" is their sophomore disc and is simply brilliant! With beautiful delicate guitar strumming pushed to the fore, and subtle piano, banjo and string fluorishes, opening cut "Homesick" and the delicate "Cayman islands" represent this fully.

"Misread" is a lilting piano sprinkled jazzy piece which is simply awesome!

As pared down as the general sound is, there is (subtle) variety: "Stay out of trouble" is a horn sprinkled waltz, "Know how" (lovely scratchy guitars) is a Bossa nova styled piece featuring Canadian folkstress Feist harmonising midway through (she appears again on the more mellow "The build up"), while "Sorry or please" (nice jazzy piano and bass, sweeping strings, great horn break) is one of those rare songs (on this disc) featuring audible percussion.

"I'd rather dance with you" is more upbeat, and reminds me of UK singer Chris Rea. "Surprise ice" is a tender spare acoustic ballad with ethereal harmonies in the chorus.

Perfect!!! 6 stars out of 5.

Firstly I would like to disagree, with both amazon and some of the other reviewers on here claiming their sound to be unoriginal and comparable to Belle & Sebastian. I have an enormous music collection that is beyond excessive and yet I have declared Kings of Convenience as my favorite band of all; and rightly so with the most play counts in iTunes. I never write music reviews, but I've made an exception for this.

No matter what mood I'm in Kings of Convenience feels right. Whether going to sleep, feeling low, chilling with friends, or doing homework it doesn't matter, once you put their album on you are automatically in a relaxed and reflective mood. You will think of past loves, you will think of your cat, curled up in a ball on the couch, you will think of happy times, sad times, you will think of how much longer that candle will burn for, you will think.

Now I do not say all this out of a biased worship, I am simply sharing my own personal experience with this music, everyday I listen to new music, and I have yet to find anything comparable. It may take a while to grow on you, but once you realize what you've been missing, you too will be glad you added it to your collection.

Out of all three albums my favorite is "Quiet is the New Loud", and if you do become a fan the "Versus" cd is a must, while I didn't appreciate it at first it is essential and actually quite good after a few listens.

Kings of Convenience's earlier outing "Quiet Is The New Loud" (which I had briefly reviewed, albeit anonymously) was the benchmark for all other artists who jumped into the "Nu Acoustica" bandwagon for its fresher and more contemporary approach to the folk-pop music of yore. Now the trend seems to pass and some other bands may have fallen out, but even so, KoC still retain their individuality.

Though they may still churn out one pretty folk song to another, the KoC really never fail to enchant listeners. And their recent CD "Riot On An Empty Street" reveals some few more delights. The instrumentation is now more bold and varied than before as they employ other things such as trombones, trumpets, strings, different kinds of percussions, banjoes and a female guest vocalist (named Feist) in addition to guitars, pianos and of course their famed whispering harmonies. And though there are a few upbeat tracks such as, notably "I'd Rather Dance With You" as well as "Love Is No Big Truth", (which can easily be transposed as electro-dance stuff) some lighter 'bob-your-head' numbers, the gentleness and hip simplicity still override this album and in effect these songs are so satisfying to listen to, as much as the stuff on "Quiet...". Plus, like the earlier album, it's an effective stress-buster (duh!), though in my opinion this is a more accessible effort, especially if one has just discovered KoC through this cd.

If you already loved "Quiet...", then you may be a bit surprised by "Riot..."'s offering but shortly after you'll surely appreciate this follow-up. And that means KoC are capable of reshuffling their music into different styles (if not completely evolving it), but (happily) I will mention this again--their individuality remains and will still remain. Simply beautiful.

I heard bits from this album on a quicky review after 'Fresh Air' on NPR. I bought it, gave a quick listen and put it to the side. I find myself repeatedly throwing some of these songs in many months later and really enjoying them. Their subtleties in the designs of the songs gives me a little of the goosebumps on the back of my neck. Little strummy sounds hear and there, put in on purpose, damping cuts on the strumming at particular choosen spots...it's very interesting! The quality of the recording is delicious too! They're a different styles of recording through the album, I think 'feel' three...the most obviously different style is the first cut, sounds like completely different equipment. OKay, enough of the technical, what about the music? Acoustic, driven, subtle 5th harmonies, cool lyrics, cello here and there, many rythms driven by the strumming sound which I really like, just listen to it!