Word: albums
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...possibly because throat singing - in which the vocalist manipulates not just the throat but the diaphragm and mouth to produce astonishing tones, drones and buzzes - is something of a commercial gamble outside the Tuvan, Siberian and Mongolian worlds. Far more bankable are collaborations like that behind Eternal, the new album from producer Carmen Rizzo and musicians Kaigal-ool Khovalyg, Sayan Bapa, Radik Tyulyush and Alexei Saryglar, who together comprise the celebrated Tuvan vocal ensemble Huun Huur...
These Cinemax-quality lyrics are sung in the anguished tone of radio-friendly modern rock over some pretty excellent guitar riffs. It's a recipe that works, at least commercially; a year after the release of their fourth album, Only by the Night, Kings of Leon have chugged past the million-sales mark and boast the No. 1 song on Top 40 radio ("Use Somebody"). They also have the best bandcreation story in memory. These facts are not unrelated...
...Declaration of Dependence,” the band’s third album, comes after a five-year gap in their discography. That long wait makes its blandness all the more underwhelming. Despite the delay, the new album sounds like Øye and Bøe simply wandered into the studio with their guitars one balmy afternoon. While the songs are as tranquil (and drum-shy) as ever—though perhaps a wee bit sunnier, thanks to a hint of bossa nova influence—they’re effortless in a way that suggests lack of precision...
...remix compilation featuring high-profile guest artists like Four Tet and Ladytron, the two friends parted ways for a few years to pursue other priorities. Øye packed his bottle-cap glasses and scruff aesthetic off to Berlin, where he turn-tabled, released a successful solo album, reworked old favorites into catchy dance tunes for Studio !K7’s DJ Kicks series, and recorded ’80s-influenced electro-pop with side project Whitest Boy Alive. Meanwhile, the more introverted Bøe played gigs with his own second band, Kommode, and spent time at home...
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. A more exciting collaboration may indeed still lie ahead, but it won’t be found here. “Declaration of Dependence” is not a bad album; its only offense is just how totally inoffensive it is. The album works as background music for calm browsing in a used bookstore, or light accompaniment to late-night conversation with a friend, but it fails to stand up to any sustained listening, When the post-reunion glow wears off, Kings of Convenience will need either more hooks or more complex ways...