Kings of Convenience - Riot On An Empty Street

Occasionally you come across a record that fits seamlessly into your life. Riot On An Empty Street, the second release from Norwegian duo Kings of Convenience is such a record. A modern, Nordic version of Simon and Garfunkel, Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe have a sound that will get under your skin and seep into your subconscious with an ease that might take you by momentary surprise. The twelve tracks on this album are exquisitely arranged and feel so comfortable; you’ll swear that you’ve just been wrapped in a cozy sweater. The harmonies are perfect and both men play a variety of instruments, adding layer upon layer in the most organic fashion. There are horns, acoustic guitars, the occasional banjo and piano blended skillfully together. Ranging in tone from painfully melancholic to jubilantly silly, each track is a brilliant gem to be experienced again and again. It’s impossible to really find a track that I don’t like, but there are a couple that really deserve even more shameless praise. “I’d Rather Dance With You” is incredibly clever, and the accompanying video is positively grin-inducing. When Øye says “I’d rather dance with you than talk with you,” you immediately get that shy adolescent feeling of being at the school dance: Excited and terrified with expectation. At least if you’re dancing, there’s less chance of saying something wrong that might spoil the flirtation. My personal favorite track is “Sorry or Please,” a song that explores the question of whether the signs we think we see at the beginning of a potential relationship really mean what we hope they mean. “Your increasingly long embraces/Are they saying sorry or please/I don’t know what’s happening/Help me.” It’s an especially sweet song that deals simply with the blush of new romance. It’s rare that I can’t stop myself from having an all-out lovefest over a record, but I’m afraid I don’t have one critique or negative thing to say about Riot On An Empty Street. It’s a beautiful record, touching, fragile, clever and incredibly simple. Kings of Convenience are the breath of fresh, comforting air I needed on the cusp of this autumn. [www.kingsofconvenience.com]