•
Rating:
The Kings of Convenience is a duo formed by two very young Norwegian guys who draw evident inspiration from the delicate 60s/70s ballads of another remarkable duo, Simon & Garfunkel. They outline a kind of profile that manages to go beyond mere imitation and is obviously distinguished by both a different historical era and a very personal style.
Perhaps as a reaction to the harsh and hostile climate of the duo's native land, their ballads are rich in a warmth as enveloping and intense as the sweetness that permeates their voices, different but very similar in tone, and their music, rich in arpeggios of acoustic and classical guitars, simple chord progressions enriched by soft piano and string backgrounds, and even some trumpet—as in the case of the single version of “Failure,” released in 2001 a few months after the CD's release.
Sometimes they have been criticized and accused of monotony and lack of novelty, as if by itself making “excellent good music” isn’t already a nice novelty. Clearly, their style is familiar, already heard, and perhaps a bit presumptuous in measuring up to the great figures mentioned above. However, I find their work refined, of high quality, and not devoid of that sort of self-irony that sometimes distinguishes original and intelligent composers from the mediocre and repetitive ones…
If you wish to spend 50 minutes of your time listening to timeless melodies that bring peace to the world, well, this is the CD for you. With delicacy and lightness, it will make you appreciate a type of music that has never truly been surpassed.
Rightly so.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 Toxic Girl (03:09)
In the sky the birds are pulling rain
In your life the curse has got a name
Makes you lie awake all through the night
That's why
She's intoxicated by herself
Everyday she's seen with someone else
And every night she kisses someone new
Never you
You're waiting in the shadows for a chance
Because you believe at heart that if you can
Show to her what love is all about
She'll change
She'll talk to you with no one else around
But only if you're able to entertain her
The moment conversation stops she's gone
Again
05 Failure (03:33)
Using the Guardian as a shield
To cover my thighs against the rain
I do not mind about my hair
Your jacket may be waterproof
But I know the moment you get home
You're gonna get your trousers changed
Failure is always the best way to learn
Retracing your steps until you know
Have no fear your wounds will heal
I wish I could travel overground
To where all you hear is water sounds
Lush as the wind upon a tree
I wish I could travel overground
To where all you hear is water sounds
To capture and keep inside of me
Failure is always the best way to learn
Retracing your steps until you know
Have no fear your wounds will heal
Failure is always the best way to learn
Retracing your steps until you know
Have no fear your wounds will heal
08 Leaning Against the Wall (03:18)
Your eyes are cold
I know you'll tell me all
Not to fall
I lean against the wall
I'm on the floor
Not listening anymore
I should have known
The things to which you're prone
(You cross your arms
And tell no lies
A thousand thoughts run
Through my mind
A thousand words that I don't need
I never thought you could do this)
I should have known
The things to which you're prone
(You cross your arms
And tell no lies
A thousand thoughts run
Through my mind
A thousand words that I don't need
I never thought you could do this)
Your eyes are cold
I know you'll tell me all
Not to fall
I lean against the wall
11 The Passenger (03:13)
I didn't know you were there
until you said "hello."
You had been watching me
for I don't know how long.
I hit my head against the lamp,
as by surprise I stood up.
"Don't be afraid," you said,
"it's only me- The door wasn't locked."
The voice I'd heard in the hall
was hard to recognise.
But now we know he's onboard,
wearing our disguise.
If only you and I could trust
each other through this,
then together we could
work out who
the enemy is.
12 Parallel Lines (05:11)
What's the immaterial substance
That envelopes two
That one perceives as hunger
And the other as food
I awake in tangled covers
To a sash of snow
You dream in a cartoon garden
I could never know
Innocent imitation of how it would be
If one the music entered, you did not retreat
In my imagination, you are cast in gold
Your image a compensation for me to hold
Parallel lines, move so fast
Toward the same point
Infinity is as near as it is far
Parallel lines, move so fast
Toward the same point
Infinity is as near as it is far
Loading comments slowly
Other reviews
By turkish
The two sit at the window, sip tea, play guitars... sing about difficult loves and existence.
Thirty years later, their sound is cleaner, their lyrics – beautiful – are a little less desperate.
