Kings of Convenience
Quiet is the New Loud
Astralwerks
Release Date: 2001
What the world needs now…is a Norwegian love Song
Give Astralwerks credit for going out on a limb for the last few years. After being the home to the most high profile electronic acts in the world, in the last few years they have made a concerted effort to truly round out their roster. Whether it be the British pop of the doves or the punk rock antics of the primal scream team, their newest bands have been anything but predictable. Such is the case with the Kings of Convenience.
With a list of influences that reads more like a play list for an modern easy listening station, the Kings are a world apart from all of the Astralwerks acts to date. At times, your parents might mistake the duo from Norway for Simon and Garfunkel, Nick Drake or even Burt Bachrach. For the modern listener, tinges of close contemporaries like Belle and Sebastian, Spain, Badly Drawn Boy run throughout. The melodies are soft and warm, with frowning touches of loneliness and isolation, even when aimed at an object of affection. But while the plucky acoustic ballads and light and airy horns keep the mood a bit above the suicide prevention line, the sense of loss is always there. The honesty of the feelings and lyrics only help to enrich each song. But with all of these touching moments, the Kings of Convenience don't seem to ever establish them outside of the shadows of their predecessors or their peers. As they grow and mature, let's hope they can bring something that is uniquely theirs, much as Astralwerks has attempted to do with this release.
-- Miguel Banuelos
banuelos@outersound.com
