Declaration of Dependence

iTunes Review

From a duo who once titled an album Quiet Is the New Loud, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that their 2009 release, Declaration of Dependence, continues in the same laid-back vein as their last release five years previous, 2004’s Riot On an Empty Street. These two gents from Bergen, Norway live in their own space and time where a bossanova like “Mrs. Cold” flows beautifully into another bossanova “Me In You” — the album is packed with bossanovas — before emptying into “Boat Behind,” a gentle string-fed tune that brightens their harmonies for the moment. Comparisons to Simon and Garfunkel, while frequent, don’t quite capture what these young men have here. Yes, there’s the “dependence” declared in their album title manifesting in their harmonies, and the finger-picking leading the way of “Rule My World” creates a co-dependent weave reminiscent of many folkie duos. But the Kings have a sound that seems to emanate from another faraway place no matter how quiet and intimate the recording. Even something as soft and purring as “My Ship Isn’t Pretty” threatens to sail away out of reach.