Cochlear Implant

Swedish Pop
Kings of Convenience
Declaration of Dependence
(Astralwerks)
***1/2

There’s a certain type of proudly downhearted music that comes exclusively from Scandinavia — depression’s the new folkesykdom in Norway. (That’s Norwegian for “national illness,” if you didn’t know.) And Declaration of Dependence, the new album from Erlend Øye and Eirik Bøe, better known as Kings of Convenience, embodies the Norwegian spirit. Incredibly lush, warm tones? Quiet desperation in the singers’ voices? A sense that love is fleeting and remorse is forever? Declaration of Dependence has it all. Take “My Ship Isn’t Pretty,” which takes the hushed guitar strums and pleasant vocal harmony of Simon & Garfunkel, and injects a uniquely Scandinavian melancholy. “Is this destruction or just quiet protest against loneliness?” the Kings ask. It’s not just the words that express how they feel about love; the very texture of the songs evokes Norway’s desolate climate and their lonely place within it. And yet the music is so lovely and sincere that you almost want to feel the way they do. Norway’s apparently a pretty sad and barren land, but this album might make it a little more bearable.