Kings of Convenience

Kings of Convenience is rightfully considered one of Norway’s best representatives on the international music stage. It consists of Erlend Oye, an active member of several other well-known projects, and Eirik Glambek. They met at a geography contest when they were schoolboys. Yet it was nit geography, but music that united the young men so that they decided to form a band to play initially covers of Joy Division. Originally, the duet was called Skog. Soon the musicians realized that the world would be conquered easier by those bearing an English-language name. That is why their formation turned into Kings Of Convenience. Having recorded several singles and released them on the label Telle Records based in their native town Bergen, the duet reached an agreement with Source Records and issued a collection of songs recorded right in the rehearsal space. This work drew the attention of listeners, critics and those working in the field of music. Therefore, Kings Of Convenience succeeded in inviting a very mature and skillful producer whose name was Ken Nelson.

In 2001, the Norway-based tandem premiered their debut ling player, Quiet Is The New Loud. This record struck everybody with its sincerity and audacity. The effort put it straightforward what the musicians like and were about to play since then on. Unsurprisingly, Kings Of Convenience became national heroes overnight, but even the picky British audience adopted them like their own country men. Quiet Is The New Loud was enlisted as one of the year’s best debuts, which guaranteed crowds to all concerts of the band up to the present days. Following this release, the duet embarked on a massive concert tour that was an inch from tiring Eirik to death. As soon as it was over, he returned home to Bergen while the restless Oye continued travelling in his quest for interesting music opportunities. Settled down in Berlin, he teamed up with local musicians and recorded his first solo album, Unrest. Later, Erlend took part in forming a popular band called The Whitest Boy Alive.

Again ready to work with each other, the participants of Kings Of Convenience gathered in the studio one more time after two years of drifting apart and recorded the second album, Riot On An Empty Street, delivered to the market in 2004. The musicians spent six months working on it to do everything just as they planned to. The arrangements turned more complex, while the range of live instruments became wider, but the general principles of song-writing remained the same. The preparation of this album involved the sweet-voiced Canadian singer Feist who amazed the Norwegian duet with her commitment. Amazed, indeed, were the supporters of the band after listening to this record, too. What happened next had already happened. After a long-time gig campaign, Eirik came back to his favorite science of psychology and Erlend reactivated his side-projects. However, the subsequent studio work by Kings Of Convenience kept fans waiting even longer than the other time. The third album of the Norwegian musicians was prepared only in 2009. They called it Declaration Of Dependence.