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Zero 7
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
Quiet Is The New Loud
EMAILPRINTby Kings Of Convenience
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 11 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 6 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Source / Astralwerks
Release Date: 06 March 2001
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Pop, Rock
Summary
This is the sophomore American release from the Norweigian group, following their eponymous debut on Kindercore (which shares about half of the same tracks with this album).
What The Critics Said
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
Magnet
The guitars are gorgeously recorded, the vocals are gently understated and the occasional keyboards are carefully mixed into the background with a simple, earnest warmth. [#49, p.79]
Rolling Stone
Produced by Ken Nelson, who was also responsible for Badly Drawn Boy's Bewilderbeast, Quiet Is the New Loud is equally praiseworthy, as the band conjures up the spirit of Nick Drake with eerie precision.
Read Full Review >Q Magazine
There's lashings of charm in the way the songs unfurl, touch upon an array of ethereal womenfolk and end, having gone nowhere much, but prettily.
Read Full Review >PopMatters
They also have a swell way with a tune, constructing deceptively simple melodies that lodge themselves effortlessly into your head. That's no small thing and the "gentleness" and understated quality tends to make the musical achievement seem less than obvious.
Read Full Review >Splendid
Shifting from light and airy to a sort of mild bossa-nova groove on a few tracks, Kings of Convenience throw in just enough variation to keep things interesting, without snapping the listener out of the dreamy daze they've induced.
Read Full Review >The Onion (A.V. Club)
Quiet Is The New Loud captures coffee-shop folk without its twee indulgences.
Read Full Review >Dot Music
It's an album for well-mannered emotional crises in front of log fires, a soundtrack for quivering bottom lips.
Read Full Review >Alternative Press
Though this is limp-wristed stuff, it's also undeniably beautiful, often recalling Nick Drake and Belle & Sebastian. [#154, p.82]
Mojo
The pair's lack of ambition might eventually grate but listen to this on your own on a rainy Sunday, with the thermostat set on 25 and its hallucinatory qualities might well invade your being.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
The formula of acoustic arpeggios, light drumming, tender pianos, and the occasional subtle horn or string section makes for an album that's as slight and gentle as Saltines and mineral water. The boys never deviate from this, and thus Quiet is the New Loud, inane title and all, never reaches higher than saccharine easy listening.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
There may be some satirical, post-ironic thing going on here, but you'll be too bored to notice or care.
Read Full Review >What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.3 (out of 10) based on 6 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Russ B gave it a10:
Incredible music. Have loved this record for years. Fortunate to have seen them twice in San Francisco. Creates a fantastic mood with their harmonies. A classic!!!
Henry H. gave it a 9:
A totally underrated duo. The best among all the new acoustic movement newcomers.
Eric gave it a 10:
There's not a bad track on it; only beauty and redemption.The title of this album speaks volumes musically and lyrically. Introspective, melancholic and saturated with hope. Definitely one of the best albums of the year.
Kurt S. gave it a 9:
I think it is unfortunate that some listeners fail to really listen. They close a door that should reamin open. Instead, they trap themselves in endless circle of comparison and weak social generalizations. In doing so, they restrict themselves to thought, and music is perhaps one thing that is beyond thought. Failure to appreciate the Kings of Convenience is an indication of a lack of listening. This album will fill a cup, even if you prefer another type of tea. The fusion of sound is brilliant.
