Dorian Lynskey 

Erlend Oye: Unrest

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Unrest by Erlend Oye

Judging from his winsome output as half of Norwegian acoustic duo Kings of Convenience, you might think Erlend Oye was yet to discover the wonders of the electric guitar, let alone dance music.

However, inspired by his appearances with Royksopp and Jolly Music, he has concocted an entirely electronic solo debut. Unrest was recorded with 10 different producers from 10 different cities, not that you could necessarily tell. Perhaps it's because Oye's voice is so wistful that if he teamed up with Fatboy Slim to remake KC and the Sunshine Band's That's the Way (I Like It), it would still emerge sounding wan.

Or perhaps he has narrow tastes in electronica. But there's not much difference between the lonesome electro of Ghost Trains and the elegant Pet Shop Boys impression of Sudden Rush. Only the breathtakingly glacial A While Ago and Recently suggests just how impressive this exercise might have been. Still, there are worse sins than consistency, and Unrest's dreamy, wintry ambience proves gently seductive.

 

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