That Erland Øye does come up with some inventive monikers for his musical endeavours. First there was his Kings of Convenience, then album titles Quiet is the New Loud and Riot on an Empty Street, and now his latest venture - The Whitest Boy Alive. In fact, it comes as something of a disappointment that the debut album from the Norwegian four-piece is simply entitled Dreams. He was obviously half asleep when he came up with that one… (ahem).
It is difficult, at first at least, not to judge TWBA’s work in the context of Øye’s other band, especially when his instantly recognisable lilting Scandinavian tones seep from the speakers like an old friend. The subject matter, too, remains consistent and the quotidian stories of a lonely boy’s loves and losses that defined Kings of Convenience are still very much in evidence. However, whereas the songs recorded with Eirik Glambek were generally of the gentle acoustic lullaby variety, this is, at the very least, a more grown-up sounding record.
The ten songs are all very much plugged in, but remain suitably laid-back and for the most part are left sparse and roomy. It is telling that TWBA started off as an ‘electronic’ project, because what is left is essentially an album of jazzy electronica without the electronica. The vast expanses within the songs on ‘Dreams’ are filled with meandering bass lines and guitar parts that verge from the easy listening to at times the downright funky (such as the snare-filled ‘Fireworks). The tracks are certainly not in a rush to go anywhere and at times this means they can drag on a little with extended instrumentals that go round in circles. Sometimes this works beautifully, like on the husky ‘Borders’ for example, but at one’s most cynical, the line “Giving me a reason to stay constantly ignored” in ‘Don’t Give Up’ can be a little close to home.
All in all, ‘Dreams’ is a very well put together album that works delightfully as a sedentary soundtrack to whatever else you might be doing at the time. The elongated musical structure also allows the quirky, witty lyrics to breathe, develop and grab more of the attention than you might expect and this often proves a highlight. There is little wrong with the album, but it is so laid-back it is difficult to see who (apart from fans of Kings of Convenience and Øye’s other enterprises) going to want to really get stuck into it and give it the repeat listens that it probably needs to be truly appreciated.
Oh, and listen out for the backing vocals that turn up half way through ‘Don’t Give Up’ that sound just like Jemaine from Flight of the Conchords has lent a helping hand in the studio.
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First published on rockfeedback.com. See it here.
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