Owen, I really tried to find something that would relate to Munich, but apart from the philharmonics there or ‘hardcore’ German Schlager, there are just a few nationally known artists like Sportfreunde Stiller and Münchner Freiheit. All of which have their time and place (so do go check them out), but doesn’t really suit my wants and needs for here and now, today. Forgive me.
Hey, everyone, it’s Kingsday tomorrow! The Netherlands is set to be out in full (orange) force, to take in every nook and cranny of every city across the country with their singing, drinking, and celebrating antics. It’s a fun kind of Monarchy, where people mostly don’t care that much and the royals actually have jobs and all that. But I don’t really feel like diving into Dutch music either, so the question is what else can I choose that is convenient?
Maybe you have noticed that I tend to enjoy kind of balancing the recommendations here somewhat. One week might be electronic, the next acoustic; one week very recent, following week a classic; something loud and evergetic vs. something quiet and calm.
Last week, we dove into some punk rock with the wonderful gents of PUP, this week maybe something mellow?
Kingsday. Music. Convenient… Ah, I’ve got it – how about the Kings of Convenience
Kings of Convenience consists of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambek Bøe, both of whom stem from Bergen, way up in Norway. Together, they have been making buttery smooth indie folk-pop since they first started outabout 25 years ago.
When I say buttery smooth, it’s the first thing that comes to my mind when describing their music. Listening to it feels like a hug from mom, being wrapped in a warm blanket, and watching a snoozing kitten, all wrapped into one. It tends to be relatively stripped-down acoustic sounding music, mainly consisting of guitars and some percussion and strings, the occasional piano interspliced. But all that are just the physical instruments, because their voices do a lot of the soothing lift that the music packs. Mostly in unison, though arguably Erlend’s voice can be a bit more in the foreground – not that anyone asked.
I tend to use this little column to point my finger to an album and will do so again today, but for what it’s worth, the music that the two of them make, in it’s feathery lightness, often blends from one song or album to another without much distinction. At least, nothing that jumps out at you, if you aren’t deeply familiar with their work or paying particular attention. Some might say that speaks to no artistic range, but I think it suits the music and the niche that it inhabits quite well.
Check out their delightful 2004 album “Riot On An Empty Street” for some of their best known songs.
A few years back, I had the pleasure of cathing the band for a one-off concert in Amsterdam’s Forrest amphitheater, on a lovely summer night, and it was truly magical.
Maybe the tunes can swoop you up and away somewhere like that, too, this weekend
Coryphe 