Kings of Convenience - Declaration of Dependence

What's not to love about a band who coined the phrase "Quiet is the New Loud" with the release of their 2001 album of the same title? You can almost believe it too as Erlend Oye's voice that's just above a whisper snuggles into and warms every crevice of your ear. I've waxed poetic about Erlend before, enamored with someone who moves about folk pop (The Whitest Boy Alive and Kings of Convenience) as fluidly as he does through electronica (he was the voice on Royksopp's hauntingly sweet "Remind Me.")

His latest release, Kings of Convenience's Declaration of Dependence (due out stateside Oct 20th, Virgin) dares to be even more pared down than past records. Its acoustic sounding to be sure, and I'd almost be tempted to call it underproduced were it not for a perfect crispness that gives this album a chilling "right there in the room with you" feel. The quiet, initmate warmth, as well as its fall release have ensured that Declaration is my autumn soundtrack.

There's a lot of focus on both guitar and vocals, as opposed to the piano of the past, which creates more of a personal, portable vibe. The use of guitar and strings in "Peacetime Resitance" gives that sense of comfort and warmth that comes laying in bed early on a cold morning watching dust motes floating in a ray of sunshine. "Riot on an Empty Street" has Oye's near whispering voice bordering on weepy, with mournful guitar fitting the aptly lonely sounding title. The song that really does it for me, however, is "Boat Behind." Embracing the styles of French jazz guitar, "Boat Behind" is one of the album's janglier songs, and the fiddle adds a lightheartedness that makes you think everything will be alright. By far the most charming part is Oye's echoing when he sings "Winter and spring / Summer and fall/You're the wind surfer crossing the ocean I'm the boat behind." There is a mournfulness to it that is very like that of French cinema, which seems to have a touch of humor no matter how tragic the film, or a touch of sadness no matter how comic.

You can get "Boat Behind" here.

Note: I've waxed poetic about Erlend this entire posting, and haven't given much attention to Eirik Glambek Bøe, the other member of Kings of Convenience who perhaps doesn't possess nearly the same vocal qualities as Erlend but is markedly more attractive. You can watch their charming video, which made me smile, especially because their lighting is exactly as warm and mellow as it should be here.