Kings of Convenience Prove "Dependence" Isn't That Bad
Norwegian duo returns with a quiet roar after a five-year absence.
Kings of Convenience
Declaration of Dependence
Released on Oct 20, 2009
Last spring, a friend of mine became obsessed with Bergen, Norway. He was convinced that anything that came out of that area of the world was solid gold. I ignored him for the first few days, but finally asked “Why? What is so awesome about Bergen?” And then, I saw the light. 1) Google image “Bergen.” It’s incredibly gorgeous. If you don’t care about pretty things, move straight to number 2) “Bergen Wave.” How many cities have waves of music named after them? I’m sure there are some I’m forgetting, like “Kansas City Wave” or something like that, but really. And finally, 3) it’s the homeland of Erlend Oye, one of the driving forces behind Bergen Wave.
While he’s had a successful career with The Whitest Boy Alive and solo work, Kings of Convenience—which includes Eirik Glambek Boe—seems to be his most lasting endeavor. And why wouldn’t it be? Kings of Convenience utilize a foolproof formula of close-knit harmonies, simple guitar melodies, and the occasional violin accent. In other words, it’s the ideal soundtrack for cool, relaxing afternoons.
Declaration of Dependence is the Kings’ first release in five years, and while it doesn’t sound like they’ve experienced any radical growth during that period, they’ve refined their sound even further, making for a seamless album. “Boat Behind,” which is near the beginning, immediately catches the listener’s ear. It is the first song on the album to prominently feature the violin in the intro, and its few short notes at the start sets the song apart from the rest. The guitars take it from there, leading up to the catchy chorus of “whoa-oh-oh-oh, I could never belong to you.”
“Mrs Cold” features interesting guitar duo work—again, they have the ability to make it seem like they’ve just gotten together for an afternoon to jam for a bit. But really, they craft some delicate and intricate melodies that showcase both of their capabilities with the instrument. Those melodies provide fitting backdrops for simple and earnest lyrics, such as the ones in “Power of Not Knowing”—“A bigger blessing girl, is being young/the power of not knowing where you belong.” Credit those lyrics to almost any other band, and they’ll sound pretty cheesy. But when Oye and Boe sing them, they sound loaded with a meaning that goes beyond “shucks, growing up is confusing!”
Don’t come to this album looking for anything other than soothing songs and a few instances of thought-provoking lyrics, because that’s what you’ll find. While some of the tracks blend together a little too much, but when fans have been waiting five years for an album, too much continuity might not be such a bad thing.
High Point
“Riot on an Empty Street” –listen right around 1:37. Those two sound like a modern-day version of Simon & Garfunkel. Swoon!
Low Point
There’s not much experimentation to speak of on the album. Yes, they’ve got a great sound, but maybe it could be amped up just a bit?
Posted by Alyssa Vincent on Oct 20, 2009 @ 6:30 am
