FEATURE:
Vinyl Corner
Kings of Convenience - Riot on an Empty Street
___________
FOR this Vinyl Corner…
I want to spend some time with a duo who I hope will release some new music very soon. Kings of Convenience released Declaration of Dependence in 2009. Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe are sensational when they blend their voices together! Maybe it is their Norwegian accents or the affinity they have for the music that makes what they do so affecting and moving. I loved their 2001 debut, Quiet Is the new Loud, but I think Riot on an Empty Street afforded them greater critical acclaim and widespread focus. In terms of the songwriting, maybe they were broader and more focused. Even though the album only reached number forty-nine in the U.K., I feel it is a beautiful album that people should get on vinyl. Despite it not being widely available, there are websites like this where you can pick it up for a reasonable rate. I realise that the past two Vinyl Corners have featured albums that are either not widely available or are only available from fairly obscure places! Next week, I am bringing in an album from the last few years that everyone will be able to buy from a range of sites! I think raising the issue, hopefully, should compel Kings of Convenience and Astralwerks to reprint the album or to redistribute it. As I also say in these features, if you cannot find it on vinyl for an affordable price then go and stream the album or buy the C.D. Although the idea of this feature is to highlight albums that sound perfect on vinyl, the real intent is to get people to listen to the album! One reason why I love Riot on an Empty Street is that it features two song collaborations with the amazing Canadian musician, Feist. Her gorgeous voice adds something special to Know-How, and The Build-Up.
I am going to finish up soon, but I want to highlight a couple of reviews for Kings of Convenience’s second album. This is what AllMusic wrote when they reviewed Riot on an Empty Street:
“Riot on an Empty Street ends a long period of inactivity for Kings of Convenience. During their three-year layoff Erlend Øye could be found making solo records and DJing while Eirik Glambek Boe was finishing his psychology degree. Luckily for fans of beautiful vocals and thoughtful indie pop, they decided to get back together. What this band is all about is the sound of Boe and Øye's voices blended together in harmony. Their first album (in both incarnations) erred on the side of consistency. Here the band seems to have learned the all-important lesson of pace and variety. The arrangements are fuller too with pianos, strings, the occasional electric guitar, and lovely guest vocals on two tracks from Broken Social Scene member Leslie Feist. Not to say that they have gone crazy with change. They still stick pretty closely to the acoustic guitars and vocals path, and the tone of the album is autumnal and restrained as before. They have just added more songs like the gently driving "Misread," the lilting waltz "Stay Out of Trouble," and the downright peppy "I'd Rather Dance With You." Øye's side trip into electronica only rears its head on the non-electronic but modern-sounding "Love Is No Big Truth." No matter what the song, though, when their tender, fragile voices harmonize it can be breathtaking. And heartbreaking. The moment in "Surprise Ice" when Eirik is joined by Erland will raise goose bumps. There are many others like that on Riot, and they are what sells the record. If you sort of liked the first record but wished it was more interesting, that it had more punch of both the sonic and emotional variety, then your wishes have come true”.
There are whispers that the duo might release new music soon, though I think these might be rumours. There is a definite absence at the moment; a desire for their particular brand of stunning music. The second review I want to bring in is from Pitchfork. They made some interesting comments:
“Of course, Riot might have left a bigger impression if that last song title had served as the album's mission statement; the only dancing appropriate to most of these 12 tracks is a slow sway while sitting Indian-style. Indeed, the Kings of Convenience would do well to assimilate more of Øye's electronic leanings into their original sound, rather than merely mining sad troubadours past for inspiration and leaving these tracks as sparse source material for the obligatory remix album. Only "Love Is No Big Truth" appears to take a hack at translating a club bangah into the Kings' delicate language, combining an insistent bass drum, crisp little electric guitar figures, and banjo to construct a passable folk-bred techno.
More experiments of this sort would help the Kings of Convenience update their harmonies-and-fingerpicking sound for a modern world, rather than continuing to exist as a museum piece profiling musicians who like "The Boxer" way too much.
It would also build a bridge to listeners drawn in by Øye's extracurricular activities but who might not be willing to make the leap to as rhythmless an environment as is found in most of Riot on an Empty Street. Should the duo ever decide to cut out the professional remixer middlemen and create the hybrid sound their backgrounds suggest, Kings of Convenience might finally become the rare 6am comedown band that actually sounds like it recorded during this century”.
If you can get hold of Riot on an Empty Street on vinyl then treat yourself – as it is a remarkable album that demands that kind of format. Failing that, listen to the album below and lose yourself in its wonderful songs. From the incredible opening tracks, Homesick, and Misread, through to the hypnotic I'd Rather Dance with You, there is so much to enjoy on the album! Maybe it is lockdown and the way we are perceiving and interpreting music at the moment, but I find myself drawn to the songs in a way I perhaps was not the last time I heard Riot on an Empty Street. I have loved it since its release in 2004 and, in 2021, it still manages to seduce me and infuse the senses. I think that every music fan should surrender to the charms of the magical…
RIOT on an Empty Street.