Music for Sunday Mornings: Kings of Convenience Return from a Long Absence with Peace or Love

Twelve years since their last release, the Norwegian duo look to recapture old magic.

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When Kings of Convenience announced their new album Peace or Love, I was excited to see what the hushed Norwegian duo had up their sleeves after so many years away.

As it turns out, it’s more of the same from Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambeck Bøe. There are a few ways to interpret that, depending on whether you’re still cranking early-aughts indie-folk or not.

I can assuredly say that the first two Kings of Convenience albums were some of my most played albums in early college. When releasing their debut, the duo was upfront with their intentions, calling the record Quiet is the New Loud. While The Strokes were breaking out by returning to the garage rock sounds of the Velvet Underground, Kings of Convenience were pulling from the delicate folk sounds of Simon and Garfunkel.

My friends and I creatively referred to them as just that: the Norwegian Simon and Garfunkel.

Those familiar with me know that nothing pulls me into a record more than some good harmonies, which is the basis and beauty of Kings of Convenience. When Øye and Bøe come together, they produce real magic between their voices, often quietly accompanied by classical guitar.

This leads to the question - is that simple formula enough to satisfy in 2021?

When I first gave Peace or Love a spin, the opening track “Rumors” was there like an old friend. Twelve years removed from their last release, here were the “two soft voices, blended in perfection,” welcoming me back to their relaxed, autumnal sound.

But the more I listened, the more I looked for something just a bit outside of their wheelhouse. Take the lead single “Rocky Trail,” for example. It’s a delightful little song, but it’s essentially a retread of “Misread” from 2004’s Riot On an Empty Street, complete with a similar violin melody. Similarly, “Angel” is essentially “Know How,” also from Riot.

Throughout the record, this became a theme. With a complete understanding of the project I was listening to, nothing remotely fresh came along. The best song, “Fever,” works because of its bossanova groove, driven by a shuffling click track. It’s also about the only time drums are present, and the piano refrain helps switch things up. Incorporating a wider instrumental pallet on a few more songs would have gone a long way.

There’s also the much-welcomed return of Feist on “Love Is A Lonely Thing” and “Catholic Country.” Previously featured on “The Build Up” from Riot On an Empty Street, Feist demonstrates once again how wonderfully she can compliment Øye and Bøe.

It took me back to when I saw Kings of Convenience on a snowy night at the Fox Theater in Boulder in early 2005. Feist was the opener, having made a name for herself as a member of Broken Social Scene but not yet making that sweet iPod Nano cash. Battling the flu, she stole the show with her vocal loops and making so much noise on her own.

Maybe that is my issue with Peace or Love - Kings of Convenience are the same, but my listening preferences are not. While other indie-folkers from that time, like Bon Iver, have evolved and found exciting new ways to change their sound, Kings of Convenience have delivered something we’ve heard from them before while waiting twelve years for it.

For an album that has supposedly been in the works for five years, surely there are some versions of these songs that aren’t so glossy and perfect.

Maybe the cutting room floor (or hard drive) is where a better version of Peace or Love is laying.

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