The Kings of Convenience
Preparing Harmonies For a Quiet Riot

I was watching Almost Famous a few weeks ago, and during the scene when Anita, sister to our hero William, has her Simon & Garfunkel record confiscated by her mother, I couldn't help but think of the Kings of Convenience. How many "impressionable" minds have been opened to music through the gentle strains of Norway's almost-famous harmonizing duo? Most likely all those not claimed by the country's notorious black metal output.
"I can't stop listening to the sound of two soft voices / Blended in perfection from the reels of this record that I've found." So begins Riot on an Empty Street, the second proper full-length from, for all intents and purposes, the Norwegian Simon & Garfunkel. Only two people can comment on the intent of that beautiful opening. I speak long, long distance over the phone with primary songwriter Erlend Öye, who would be the Paul Simon of the duo to Eirik Glambek Bøe's Art Garfunkel. Gearing up for their American tour, of which the 40 Watt supports one of the first few dates, Öye candidly discusses that first line in too-perfect English. "There was this one guy," he says, "who reviewed the record when it came out. He said it was good and all, but he got a bad aftertaste from hearing us sing about ourselves. I understand that, but I wrote that song years ago when living in London, inspired by the music I love. It wasn't even originally sung in harmony."

The Kings actually started in America on Athens' own sorely missed Kindercore label with a self-titled collection. The duo would re-record most of these songs for the official Astralwerks debut Quiet is the New Loud, but Öye certainly has fond memories of his Athens connection. "It was a pretty typical meeting," he recalls. "I was hanging out with this girl in New York, and we went to see Belle and Sebastian. Someone from Kindercore was there, and I got introduced to him. We ended up signing with them even though we were on a much bigger label in Europe. We just love the town. We got a very good first impression of American through Athens."

Influences and label credibility aside, fans of acoustic pop or folk have much to love in Öye and Bøe. Riot on an Empty Street takes the duo's music in a slightly more upbeat pop direction, but retains those fuzzy soft edges and strong harmonizing. "Riot's not really that different at all," Öye claims. "It's a collection of 12 songs, what I think of as 12 chances. I guess there is the one very poppy song [single "I'd Rather Dance With You"], but I don't see why so many bands try so hard to sound different on every record." As there are probably few, if any, fans waiting for the pair to employ distortion pedals, this is good news indeed.

Speaking of stasis and the lack thereof, Öye has also branched out into the electronic realm, releasing his solo debut, 2003's Unrest, and last year's DJ-Kicks mix, both of which have received a strong welcome. It's notable that very little of this other side of Öye has substantially rubbed off on the Kings' material. "We'd finished the first record," he says, "and I started getting more and more into electronic music. In Europe you have so many musical friends who are into the various dance scenes. I was inspired by this a little, like the way I was by the concept of two acoustic guitars. But I try to keep them separate outside of simple inspiration. I'm not a big fan of guitars being played over beats."

One immediate change on Riot is the addition on two tracks of the vocals of the beautiful Leslie Feist, best known as a member of Broken Social Scene. She clearly steals the show in "Know-How" when she comes into the song halfway through. Öye says he's delighted to have her on the record. "It started with just emailing," he says, "and kind of joking around, I asked her if she'd like to come out to Bergen and sing on a couple of songs. And she was like, ‘Sure, when?' I wrote, ‘Next week,' and then it just happened. She's wonderful and so is her band."

As for the next Kings album, there's sadly no solid news. This tour is by far the biggest the two have embarked upon, so following its wrap they plan to take things easy. "Just existing on a slow burn, really," says Öye. "I think it's essential to just have a life, and to be around your home and your friends and all that. But we've got offers for all kinds of places, so we'll still be busy even when we're relaxing." Shortly before ending the call, Öye asks me, a bit shyly, what I expect the turnout for the show to be like. I reply optimistically, of course, and hopefully. But then, I'm not a psychic, and that's where you reading this come in.