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Riot On An Empty Street
EMAILPRINTby Kings Of Convenience
Generally favorable reviews
Based on 18 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
Based on 21 votes
Read user comments
Rate this album >
Album Info
Label: Astralwerks
Release Date: 27 July 2004
Discs: 1 disc
Genre(s): Indie, Pop
Summary
The Norway-based indie-folk duo of Erlend Øye and Erik Glambek Bøe reunite for a third album, following some detours by Øye into more electronic-based music.
Also By This Artist: Declaration Of Dependence Quiet Is The New Loud
Also On Metacritic
MUSIC: Erlend Øye: Unrest Röyksopp: Melody A.M.
Also On The Web: Official Artist Site
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...
Entertainment Weekly
Riot's tales of lost loves and existential confusion shimmer with precise harmonies, memorably melancholy melodies, and rich but restrained arrangements. [6 Aug 2004, p.80]
Dot Music
This still isn’t the kind of music that you’ll hear looped on adverts or behind sporting highlights, but instead simple, affecting songs that use the human heart as an instrument as surely as acoustic guitars.
Read Full Review >Stylus Magazine
The Kings of Convenience don’t stray too far from their basic formula of guitars, upright bass, twinkling piano, viola, cello and soft percussion in the background. It’s consistent and it works.
Read Full Review >Playlouder
Given how many of their contemporaries have attempted to xerox a winning sound and got it so far wrong, the fact that the Kings can still turn their hand to such magnificent lost hits as 'Misread', spin out obtuse, imaginative imagery as they do in 'Surprise Ice' and sculpt such tender ruminations as 'Stay Out Of Trouble' is cause for serious celebration.
Read Full Review >The Guardian
This new album picks up exactly where the Kings left off, with warm melodies and exquisitely detailed ruminations.
Read Full Review >All Music Guide
If you sort of liked the first record but wished it was more interesting, that it had more punch of both the sonic and emotional variety, then your wishes have come true.
Read Full Review >cokemachineglow
At this point, we can assume with a fair amount of certainty that they won't be throwing a diverse masterwork our way any time soon, and if the most we can ask for is a consistent run through low-tempo folk, Riot is probably as good as they're going to give us.
Read Full Review >Pitchfork
Kings of Convenience would do well to assimilate more of Øye's electronic leanings into their original sound, rather than merely mining sad troubadours past for inspiration and leaving these tracks as sparse source material for the obligatory remix album.
Read Full Review >Uncut
Another bittersweet, finger-picked confection that shows their chemistry is still there. [Jul 2004, p.101]
Q Magazine
Sweet, nostalgic and relishing the strength of words softly spoken. [Aug 2004, p.112]
Rolling Stone
Shimmers with melancholy beauty. [16 Sep 2004, p.80]
Under The Radar
While there is nary a weak offering, five songs in, Riot threatens to be a rehash. [#7]
New Musical Express
Hushed vocals, strummed guitars, creeping cello, and an all-encompassing sense of politeness are the order of the day. [19 Jun 2004, p.57]
PopMatters
It's just that 44-odd minutes of affecting, tasteful acoustic minstrelry is rather, well, inertia-inducing.
Read Full Review >Delusions of Adequacy
The majority of the record is solid and enjoyable, but taken in its entirely, Riot is a bit tiring.
Read Full Review >Urb
For those who used to throw parties, but now have dinners, Kings Of Convenience will bring desert and a bottle of expensive red wine. [Oct 2004, p.103]
Alternative Press
Weak. [Sep 2004, p.140]
What Our Users Said
The average user rating for this album is 9.4 (out of 10) based on 21 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
Bert L gave it a10:
The albums released by Kings Of Convenience have been some of the most beautiful and mis-understood of this decade. Critics seem to miss the obvious point that they want their music to sound like it sounds, and they inforce their own production restrictions, to keep it to the minimum needed. It's the same with Erlend's other project, The Whitest Boy Alive, ctics seem to thing that their chosen minimalism is some sort of lack of song writing ability or effort, but in their case less is definately more. But it really doesn't matter what the critics say, these albums go out and are played for years by people, as their soothing, haunting melodies are timeless and don't need the usual hype that today's music relies on. They're just great, simple songs.
A H gave it a10:
The first time i played this record i thought it was just good...But this is the kind of record that has the quality to reveal more of its qualities, every time you listen to it. Then you'll discover what a beautiful, rare diamond it is. This is one of the truly great records of recent pophistory. 22 July 2007
Andy gave it a10:
My favirote album of the past five years, no joke. This album doesn't seem to be understood by critics, its the perfect mix of folk, jazz, and shoegaze. The instrumentation is gold.
Ali C gave it a9:
One of the finest records of the decade to date, and probably the most under-rated. They are hardly fashionable, sounding more like Simon and Garfunkel than anyone else: but they are at least as good as that duo. The two line guitar arrangements are some of the best you will ever hear. The vocals are haunting, with beautiful, poetic lyrics: 'Homesick, 'cause I no longer know, where home is'. And no, I am not Norwegian.
Frank gave it a10:
As a child, dad used to sing Simon and Garfunkel songs to me in the car when we went on drives. Track one of this cd made me smile and fondly remember those road trips. That kind of warm fuzzy, taken with a good cup of green tea when settling in to read a good book...this is what the album seems to have been written for.
Ashley G gave it a 10:
Just a brilliant album just as good as their Quiet album. Though this one is more upbeat it still completely the sound of Kings of Convenience. I love it!
J Stocker gave it a 10:
One of the most beautiful albums I have ever heard
