Declaration of Dependence

Taking occasional (and sometimes lengthy) breaks between projects, the Norwegian duo of Erlend Øye and Eirik Glambæk Bøe keep returning to their shared love of hushed folk-pop, even though electronic music also calls to Øye in the studio. Vintage artists like Nick Drake and Simon & Garfunkel come to mind in the rather vintage feel of Declaration of Dependence, a collection of tunes featuring acoustic guitars gently plucked and strummed, and the sparest of strings and piano. There's a faint whiff of easy jazz and bossa nova on some tracks—the rippling ebb and flow of "Freedom and Its Owner" and "Me in You" should get feet moving in a smooth samba swirl, and the gently percolating guitar in the breezy "Mrs. Cold" recalls soft-jazz guru Michael Franks. While there's nothing quite as brisk as "I'd Rather Dance with You" (from the duo's last release, 2004's Riot on an Empty Street), the faintly perky "Boat Behind" eventually calls out like a sea shanty, with its see-sawing cello-guitar interplay and jaunty oh-ohhh-ohhh's begging for a sing-along. The Kings make great shelfmates with contemporary artists like High Llamas and Tracy Thorne.