For me, though, the album's masterwork is the closing track "The Build Up," a loping shuffle co-written with guest vocalist Leslie Feist of Broken Social Scene. Feist's vocals recall Astrud Gilberto at her most soulful and provide this album with its most musically interesting moments.
And that just brought out the ultimate flaw in what really is a very nice album--while Bøe and Øye are good harmonists and songwriters, they can sound awfully stiff at times. You don't really notice it until Feist takes a lead, but then it's pretty evident. The Kings did well by closing with "The Build Up"; had it appeared earlier on the album, the rest of the songs would've sounded flat by comparison. Indeed, after hearing Feist purr her way through "The Build Up" it dawned on me that there wasn't a spontaneous-sounding moment on the album up to that point. Like I said, you can tell the care and thought that went into making this album; however, the swing was the first casualty. Even Bøe's little vocal slides on "Surprise Ice" sound forced.
It's fair to say that, while this album is significantly better than the last, the Kings would do well to quit worrying so much about the notes and pay a little more attention to the music. Riot On An Empty Street is not a bad listen, but it's frustrating to hear songs with so much potential being let down by timid, conservative performances.
Article comments
1 - Miche
I think this album is just amazing, it grows on you, it gets better every time you listen to it. I confess first time I heard "Cayman Islands" a tear or two came out. Trully genious, I could easily say one of the best bands of the decade.