Riot on an Empty Street
Kings Of Convenience
Feist
Engineer: Davide Bertolini,
Producer: Kings Of Convenience, Davide Bertolini
Astralwerks (Record Label), 2004
1 CD
Catalogue #: 71665
EAN: 0724357166522
UPC: 724357166522
You save: 20%
Kings Of Convenience: Eirik Glambek Boe, Erlend Oye.
Additional personnel: Feist.
Recording information: Grieghallen, Bergen, Norway.
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.
Tracklist
Kings Of Convenience
The Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience made a splash in their own low-key way with their 2001 album QUIET IS THE NEW LOUD. Their Simon & Garfunkel harmonies and gentle, acoustic ballads got the UK press all hot and bothered about a "New Acoustic Movement." While that didn't exactly blossom, the Kings turned out to be one of the most substantive groups of the early 2000's, and their strong 2004 follow-up album, RIOT ON AN EMPTY STREET, exemplified their staying power.
Feist
Canadian singer-songwriter Leslie Feist has fronted punk bands, played in Broken Social Scene, and backed her pal Peaches, but is most beloved for her introspective folk-pop solo albums, which she releases between side jaunts. She possesses an ethereal voice that slides effortlessly into a haunting soprano, and applies this to melodic tunes that brush up against electronica, Tin Pan Alley pop, and good old-fashioned confessional folk. She has been remixed by various DJs and collaborated with hipsters both current (the Postal Service) and vintage (Jane Birkin). Her 2007 album, THE REMINDER, topped many critics' best-of-the-year lists.
