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The Nordic duo are back and making beautiful music. After the success of debut ‘Quiet Is The New Loud’ in 2001 Eirik Glambek Boe and Erland Oye ventured out on various solo projects including a dance album and a psychology degree. They have rejoined forces to create this simple but captivating album.
The Kings have used their solo experiences to gain inspiration for ‘Riot…’, although similar in sound to their debut album, ‘Riot…’ inevitably has a more distinct mature sound. Featuring complex instrumentation which includes a banjo, trumpets and backing vocals from guest female vocalist Feist, they attempt to give a little more depth to their two voices and two guitars.
So, the tunes. All of them have a fragile quality to them, new single ‘Misread’ is the best on the album lending to the belief that a little bit of an up-tempo beat is something these guys do well, maybe something they should do more often, even if their idea of upbeat isn’t even that upbeat. You do get the feeling that they could do anything well, their combined voices work together brilliantly and conjure up an idea of a 21st century Simon & Garfunkel. ‘I’d Rather Dance With You’ is a funky pop song that is a bit of a departure from their usual sound, yet they manage to pull it off with relish. They obviously feel more at home with the folky noise that they do so well and tracks like ‘Gold In The Air Of Summer’ and ‘Homesick’ are testament to this.
The stars of the show are the two guitars that hold together this entire album so well. Despite any side projects The Kings hearts really are intrinsically connected to the acoustic sound they do so well. Music to die to; jump on the bandwagon before you’re too late.
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