Kings Of Convenience - Quiet Is The New Loud (2001)

Outcasts in their hometown of Bergen in Norway where death metal is the only musical form, the Kings of Convenience are likely to be embraced everywhere else where their music is played. You see the Kings of Convenience produce little tuneful vignettes that are as quiet as a mouse but as powerful as weil's disease. Erlend Oye and Eirik Glambek Boe are often photographed in large duffel coats and schoolboy thick rimmed glasses. But before you start calling them the Scandinavian Proclaimers, check out the gentle intelligence of their melodies gloriously swathed in those crafty acoustic nuances. And not many albums get this acoustic. Save for a few slivers of electricity this is a closest thing you'll get to an eco party this side of the Green's summer picnic.

'Winning A Battle Losing The War' sets the scene from the outset. Guitars are gently conjoled, intermittedly uncovering a dazzling riff, to produce a wonderful fondue base for the sweet vocals. While the sense of acousticism is acute, there are a surprising number of instruments on show. 'Singing Softly To Me' for example has a lingering trumpet shadow that skirts in and out of attention, going some way to deflecting the utter tweeness of the vocals (nice thought they are). At the start of 'Toxic Girl' you almost expect Damon Albarn to damage his tonsils a la 'Song 2'. Thankfully the sultry whirl of 'Toxic Girl' has a lot more to offer. Erlend and Eirik don't exactly work themselves into a sweat but this tunes value comes forth from a combination of sweet harmonies, non-apologetic flights of lust and a fine fusion of meandering laid-back guitars.

At times you have to marvel at the ingenuity of it all. 'I Don't Know What I Can Save You From' uses the most basic of ingredients but somehow creates a tune that is close to shiver inducing. There's not a hint of a drum in sight yet the vocal driven melody is hugely powerful when it fuses with the melancholy of the trailing cello. This intensity continues unabated on the single 'Failure'. The music comes close to resembling the Badly Drawn Boy template but the vocals are nothing short of luxurious. Who needs electricity to power the instruments when it's hanging in the air like pollen. Things are toned down a little as the innocent joy of 'Weight Of My Words' floats feather like from the speakers. The delicate vocals are matched by a musical backdrop that is as light as a diet wafer. Confusing as this may sound, it packs a huge emotional punch. Just pity the elderly and hard of hearing for missing out on such a fragile thrill.

As Quiet Is The New Loud progresses you'll find yourself tilting up the volume as it seemingly drops into unconsciousness. This is of course intoned by the albums title but sadly as it gets quieter the level of quality diminishes slightly. The first half of the album is drenched in melody but in the latter stages the ideas seemed a little stretched. 'The Girl From Back Then' suffers in comparison to its close relative 'Singing Softly To Me'. A case of a morning bell getting one too many tolls. Half way through and there's only one moment of distraction. Its not bad but 'Passenger' sadly lives up to it's name. Devoid of any real inspiration, it plods along rather like a spluttering banger without a steering wheel.

The Kings of Convenience lack the lyrical expanse and fluidity of contemporaries Belle and Sebastian which is a shame because when music is played at such a low ebb the words tend to attain greater resonance. The duo are also prone to the odd whimsical flutter. 'Little Kids' for example borders on the inane, even when it's Simon and Garfunkel style points to something bigger and better. Thankfully there are also moments as precious as 'Summer On The Westhill' to erase any feelings of short changedness. Where the Kings of Convenience could easily slip into frivolity, they go and defy the odds by making something that is frighteningly quiet sound altogether more intriguing. The final salvo 'Parallel Lines' also sounds grand; the chopping chords display imagination while the vocals could easily be culled from a Nick Drake composition.

The Kings of Convenience have gilded 12 fragile tunes that will have fans of modern folk licking their lips. At times the Norwegian duo slip too much into acoustic melodrama, when raising the decibel level from time to time could have perhaps provided a more fertile option. 'Quiet Is The New Loud' is nonetheless an impressive debut. It is surely the perfect accompaniment for those lazy days spent swaying in a Mexican hammock while all around you the world struggles in vain to catch up with itself.

Rating: 6/10

25 FREE Downloads. eMusic for your iPod® or any MP3 player