Kings Of Convenience Riot On An Empty Steet CD

When Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience released their appropriately titled Astralwerks debut, QUIET IS THE NEW LOUD in 2001, they were hailed as leaders of a "New Acoustic" movement. Their soft, Simon & Garfunkel-like harmonies and pristine acoustic guitar patterns set them in stark opposition to neo-garage rockers and emo punks. Three years later, their follow-up, RIOT ON AN EMPTY STREET, carries on much in the same vein.

Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe play multiple instruments, but acoustic guitar is still dominant, and the mood is one of fragile beauty, often either melancholy or bittersweet. The amazing thing is that the Kings managed the considerable task of living up to the promise of the hotly tipped QUIET IS THE NEW LOUD, releasing another batch of songs just as expertly conceived and executed. Nick Drake-esque art-folk gently rubs shoulders with Joao Gilberto-inspired bossa nova guitar rhythms, as lyrics mixing pure, heartfelt emotion and cerebral detachment float by on entrancing wisps of harmony. Oye and Boe continue to create whispers that are louder and more arresting than any scream.

Audio Mixer: Davide Bertolini.

Recording information: Duper Studios (09/2003-03/2004); Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway (09/2003-03/2004).

Arrangers: Tobias Hett; Davide Bertolini.

Kings of Convenience: Eirik Glambek Boe, Erlend Oye.

Personnel: Erlend Oye (vocals, guitar, electric guitar, banjo, trumpet, piano, bass guitar, drums); Tobias Hett (viola); Davide Bertolini (double bass, upright bass); Peter Kates (cymbals, hi-hat).

Additional personnel: Feist.

Rolling Stone (p.80) - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 - "[The album] shimmers with melancholy beauty..."
Rolling Stone (p.146) - Included in Rolling Stone's Top 50 Records Of 2004 - "[T]his Norwegian folk duo proves that quiet is the new loud."
Entertainment Weekly (p.80) - "RIOT's tales of lost loves and existential confusion shimmer with precise harmonies, memorably melancholy melodies, and rich but restrained arrangements." - Grade: B+
Q (p.112) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[S]weet, nostalgic and relishing the strength of words softly spoken."
Uncut (p.101) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[A]nother bittersweet, finger-picked confection that shows their chemistry is still there."
CMJ (p.5) - "[The] pastoral indie-pop is sharpened by horns, banjos and the occasional female vocal. The result is an album that brims with understated surprises."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "Amid the album's fuzzy, halo'd mood, doe-eyed songs pop out like sweetbreads."