Old Friends

iTunes Review

The quirky folk-pop served up by I Was A King on Old Friends carries a sharp kick along with its sweetness. On their third album, the Norwegian shoegazer combo expand their line-up to include free-jazz drummer Kevin Shea and raucous reed player Michael Semprola (among others) to help puncture their buoyant melodies with eruptions of glorious noise. Big Star and Sonic Youth adopted such methods a generation ago, but I Was A King brings a sense of naïve delight to their work that makes them distinctive. The wide-eyed wonder projected by singers Frode Stromstad and Anne Lise Frokedal contrasts nicely with the violent clatter running through “The Wylde Boys,” “Nightwalking,” “Unreal” and similar tracks. From the cheerfully nostalgic ambiance of “Snow Song” to the giddy bounce of “Echoes” and the angular, semi-psychedelic wooziness of “Here to Stay,” the band manages to test their sonic limits without losing their identity. The benign glow hovering over the acoustic-centered title number brings Old Friends to a gentle conclusion.