Quiet Is The New Loud - Kings Of Convenience

2 guys with soft voices and guitars. The Norwegian version of Simon and Garfunkel, you can't really fault this album: it is achieves a refined mellowness and poignancy lacking in many Simon and Garfunkel classics. There are less and less albums I can put on these days without being shocked at the level of ego and simplicity I was taken in by. But this one is a mellow favorite that you can get lost into, and also comes without any electronica or frills: just sheer acoustic guitars and voices, striking perfect harmonies. The lyrics curl sensitively round the finger-picking, and suggest things rather than specify. Admittedly, a lot of ...  Read the complete review

Seeing as it's Eurovision tonight, it seems apt to write about a band from Norway, the country whose dire entry spawned the phrase 'nul points'. Kings of Convenience consist of the Bergen outcasts Erlend Oye, and Eirik Glambek Boe. The lanky, geekish Oye and the former karate champ Boe came together from different bands to form their group, and after securing a record deal, set about recording 'Quiet Is The New Loud', which was released to critical acclaim in 2001. As the title may suggest, this album centres around gentle acoustic-guitar driven songs rather than anything more rocky, and this gives the 12-track a slightly folky feel ...  Read the complete review

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 twice 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 ...  Read the complete review