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Rating:
Of the two "Kings of Convenience," the Norwegian duo from Bergen that gave us two wonderful folk masterpieces (or new acoustic, if you prefer), Erlend Øye (pronounced E, I believe), is the more musically eclectic and the less physically attractive. With that geeky look (a very "cool" term), he almost seems to come out of the movie Napoleon Dynamite due to his quirkiness, and the name of this project probably takes inspiration from his not exactly Caribbean complexion.
"Dreams," from 2006, is the first album under the name WBA, which intrigued me a lot, mainly because of how he managed to "mess things up," in the company of Berlin DJ Marcin Oez who plays the bass here.
Oye took songs in the style of Kings Of Convenience and, with his unmistakable voice and insatiable desire to experiment, decontextualized them by rearranging them Funk, despite their melancholic feel, with bass front and center and a pulsating drum; but hold on, it's not an "UNZ UNZ" album, to be clear, nor "BEIBE BEIBE" or "beibobeibo" (the great Elio ELST!).
There are some nice bass riffs, one in particular on the verge of plagiarism of a not at all famous song by the Police, and the guitar becomes vaguely post-punk at times, but always tiptoeing, almost unplugged.
Thus, the musical label to stick to it is minimalist Funk, but it's impossible (and thankfully so) to provide a genre indication. Let's rather say it's an album of smart pop that makes you tap your foot on various occasions, with (deconstructed) Dance songs that are the simplest ever heard. Brilliant! Great job pale Erlend!...
...but spend fifteen minutes on the terrace every now and then...!
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
01 Burning (03:09)
So many people telling me one way
So many people telling me to stay
Never had time to have my mind made up
Caught in a motion that I don't wanna stop
So many people telling me one way
So many people telling me to stay
Never had time to have my mind made up
Caught in a motion that I don't wanna stop
So many people telling me one way
So many people telling me to stay
Never had time to have my mind made up
Caught in a motion that I don't wanna stop
So many people telling me one way
So many people telling me to stay
Never had time to have my mind made up
Caught in a motion that I don't wanna stop
That I don't wanna stop
That I don't wanna stop
03 Inflation (03:53)
Painless
So easy
You come fast
And leave me
Half a life
For one kiss
Inflation
And now this
The player game
Innocently
Was always there
But used to be
Only one way
To feel love
But now it is
The only one
04 Fireworks (03:06)
You keep your cards so close to your chest
You're making me confused
It's hidden deep what you need to address
If you want it to resume
Aching and longing never ending fireworks
Let it be, let it be, let it be oh baby let it hurt
The heat is on for the action to speed up and tension to ease
We could keep talking but only be certain through physical means
Patience is just another word for getting old
Resolution just as impossible as letting go
Is there a hint of a vulnerable you there a drift in your eyes
Could it be that the sharp and the blunt side have shifted this time
I wanted you, you wanted me but he was there
Now let it be, let it be, let it be oh baby let it bare
07 Figures (03:56)
There comes a time
For everyone
To sit down and assess what's there and what is not there
Eternally up in the air
And it seems that time has come for you
And it figues now
I was only the one who needed to appear and cause a turn of events
To force a turn of events
It's also fitting somehow
That I should be the last to know
And I'm blown away
When my friend tells me that it's so
What did I give you
That's harder to answer than what did I take
What did I mean to you?
08 Borders (05:25)
I need it every day
I blame it on you
You always have control
Now I don't
I need it every day
I blame it on you
You always have control
Now I don't
I need it every day
I blame it on you
You always have control
Now I don't
I need it every day
I blame it on you
You always have control
Now I don't
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