It’s been five years since Norway natives Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe released one of the best records of the past decade, “Riot on an Empty Street.”
After finally breaking the silence they so politely embrace, Kings of Convenience returns with “Declaration of Dependence,” their softest, most vacant album to date. It’s also their most effortless.
For those unfamiliar with the Kings, their first album title speaks volumes about the duo’s sound: “Quiet is the New Loud.”
Both Øye and Glambek Bøe play guitar and sing, but their ability to string a web of complex finger-picks and vocal harmonies makes the duo far from generic.
They began working on the album in Mexico in 2007 when they played their first show in more than two years. The album cover, photographed on the shores of Mexico, frames the moment when the Kings realized they had to make another album together. “What we build is bigger than the sum of two,” Glambek Bøe sings on the melancholic opening track, “24-25.”
“Mrs. Cold” and “Boat Behind,” the lead singles from “Declaration of Dependence,” pick up where “Riot” left off, with upright bass and viola plucking along to bouncy guitar lines. These rhythmic guitars serve as the only percussion on the album, and a
number of songs are composed of merely one or two voices and guitars.
“Renegade” is the most powerful song on the album. It’s a ballad about letting go of someone you love and not knowing what path to take in the future.
Glambek Bøe is the lone voice here and he sings over hushed strumming with
the sound of fingertips
touching the strings, equalling the sound of the chords.
The song is so minimal, it makes you feel like Glambek Bøe’s soul is bare and exposed.
He opens the song with, “I’m letting go, to see if you’ll hold on to me,” and later sings on the chorus, “Go easy on me, I can’t help what I’m doin’.”
The album, though slower than “Riot,” doesn’t lack energy, with “Peacetime Resistance” having the catchiest violin melody since the duo’s biggest hit, “I’d Rather Dance With You.”
Piano couldn’t be used more sparingly, but it strengthens the end of “Freedom And It’s Owner,” another song with the Kings’ signature bossa nova style, and while the notes may be carefully placed throughout the album, it makes it so every note counts.
The victory of this album is that Øye and Glambek Bøe find each other. They depend on each other. It’s beautiful to listen to that happen.
Listening to the Kings always makes you feel smart, like you’re in a library. It’s an escape from the clutter of everyday life, a place where you can find comfort in simplicity.
Like an old book, a vinyl record, a candle or a cup of tea, there’s sophistication and reservedness in each moment of Kings of Convenience’s music.
So as the leaves fall, grab your scarves and sweaters, and take in the perfect autumn soundtrack.
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