Quiet Is The New Loud
by Kings of Convenience
Metascore
71

Generally favorable reviews - based on 11 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 11
  2. Mixed: 5 out of 11
  3. Negative: 0 out of 11
  1. AllMusic
    40
    There may be some satirical, post-ironic thing going on here, but you'll be too bored to notice or care.
  2. Alternative Press
    60
    Though this is limp-wristed stuff, it's also undeniably beautiful, often recalling Nick Drake and Belle & Sebastian. [#154, p.82]
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  3. Dot Music
    60
    It's an album for well-mannered emotional crises in front of log fires, a soundtrack for quivering bottom lips.
  5. Magnet
    90
    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]
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  6. Mojo
    60
    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.
  7. Pitchfork
    52
    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.
  8. PopMatters
    80
    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.
  9. Q Magazine
    80
    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.
  10. Rolling Stone
    90
    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.
  11. Splendid
    70
    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.
  12. The A.V. Club
    70
    Quiet Is The New Loud captures coffee-shop folk without its twee indulgences.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.4

Generally favorable reviews- based on 16 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 13 out of 16
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 16
  3. Negative: 3 out of 16
  1. RussB
    Jun 4, 2006
    10
    Incredible music. Have loved this record for years. Fortunate to have seen them twice in San Francisco. Creates a fantastic mood with their 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!!!… Full Review »
  2. Eric
    Nov 1, 2001
    10
    There's not a bad track on it; only beauty and redemption.The title of this album speaks volumes musically and lyrically. Introspective, 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.… Full Review »
  3. KurtS.
    Oct 26, 2001
    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 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. … Full Review »
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