Riot on an Empty Street (CD)
When their debut album Quiet Is The New Loud was released in 2001, little did anyone know that these two Norwegian balladeers, armed only with soft voices and acoustic guitars, would become critical darlings (and find their music used in a national TV campaign for AT&T). Since then, Kings Of Convenience have cemented their place in alternative music circles everywhere, with a best-selling album and a subsequent remix package called "Versus." (Band member Erlend Oye recently took this dance side-step even further, recording his own electro-pop album, "Unrest," and putting together one of the most acclaimed albums in the DJ Kicks series.) Now the Kings return to their acoustic roots with another album of intimate songs, which includes the addictive new single, "I'd Rather Dance With You."
| Tracklisting | |
| Disk | 1 | |
| 1 | Homesick |
| 2 | Misread |
| 3 | Cayman Islands |
| 4 | Stay Out of Trouble |
| 5 | Know-How |
| 6 | Sorry or Please |
| 7 | Love Is No Big Truth |
| 8 | I'd Rather Dance With You |
| 9 | Live Long |
| 10 | Surprise Ice |
| 11 | Gold in the Air of Summer |
| 12 | Build-Up |
| Kristal McKenzie
- Atlanta, GA, USA |
| When I first played Quiet is the New Loud for a dance-loving friend, I had to admonish her. "You do not groove to Kings of Convenience; you listen to them and have sad sex or receive your last rites." Though I meant this as a huge compliment to the earnest sounds of the Norwegian duo, the same cannot be said of Riot on an Empty Street. The new album does beautifully echo their former melancholy in many places, but this album also displays many moments of emotional strength. I think of the album's collective mood as one of a person in transition, trying to make sense of some long passed disaster after the numbness and horror have faded. Naturally the process of repair will be an effort, but there's the aural suggestion that a change for the better is coming. Excellent, excellent work. | |