We’ve recently seen a spate of ultra-famous, world-class artists and bands coming to Manila. Just this month Julio Iglesias, Tom Jones, Timbaland/Justin Timberlake/Jojo and Paramore played big shows. Next month’s most-anticipated concert appears to be Tears For Fears.
I’d like to throw a bit of a spotlight on two gigs taking place this coming Tuesday and Wednesday. They may not be ultra-famous, but they’re definitely world-class.
Kings of Convenience and Jens Lekman will be performing their unique brand of light pop/rock in Manila for the first time, part of separate Asian tours that will see them visiting Indonesia, Malaysia, Japan, Singapore, Australia and more.
Kings of Convenience are Norwegian duo Eirik Glambek Bøe and Erlend Øye, whose first album, Quiet is the New Loud, came out in 2001.
Their delicate voices and soothing melodies were a refreshing change of pace at the time—folk-influenced but not overpoweringly so.
Riot on an Empty Street followed in 2004, and while Quiet got them a lot of attention, Riot brought their music to a much wider audience.
Some of their popular singles include “Winning a Battle, Losing the War”, “I’d Rather Dance With You;” and “Know How”. The last song features Leslie Feist, who also sings on other tracks on Riot. For many people this was their first exposure to the singer/songwriter, who would later make a name for herself with solo albums and her contributions as a quasi-member of Canadian supergroup Broken Social Scene.
Kings of Convenience took a longish break after Riot, finally reuniting last year to record album number three, Declaration of Dependence. In the time between releases, Erlend Øye had put out a solo album called Unrest and two albums with his other band, The Whitest Boy Alive; all good.
Swedish “upstart” Jens Lekman started his career using a false name, but soon abandoned that idea. Also sporting a folk influence, Lekman has a stronger background in chamber pop, as evidenced by some of his ecstatic arrangements (it’ll be interesting to see how he pares these down as a solo performer), which could rival the likes of Sufjan Stevens or Owen Pallett.
Matching these effervescent tunes are his characteristically witty and well-written lyrics, which mostly tell humorous narratives of uncommon romance or tragic miscommunications, such as falling in love with someone during a riot, or acting as a beard for a lesbian friend who you’re actually IN love with.
His first album, When I Said I Wanted to Be Your Dog, came out in 2004, followed by Night Falls Over Kortedala in 2007. Both are excellent examples of solid, often witty songwriting.
The production outfit behind these shows is a bit of an upstart itself.
Intercept, which comprises filmmaker Quark Henares, fashion designer Kate Torralba and musician Joffy Cruz, formed the group last year out of a mutual love for indie/alternative music, and a mutual disappointment/frustration with the lack of indie/alternative acts visiting our shores. Their first show was the +/- [Plus/Minus] gig at Encore, the band’s second gig in the country.
Tickets for Jens Lekman’s solo show at Saguijo on the 30th (with opening act Outerhope) are at PHP 450 (inclusive of one drink). Tickets for the Kings of Convenience gig at the NBC Tent on the 31st (with opening act Jens Lekman) are at PHP1,950, and may be purchased at Sputnik on Cubao Expo, Mag:net Bonifacio High St., Kate Torralba’s shop at Greenbelt 5 and Route 196 on Katipunan.
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Lekman’s official website (http://www.jenslekman.com), features songs available for free download, including the entirety of all his tour EPs.
Be sure to check out the debut album of Sleepwalk Circus, titled Great Secret Show, which they launched last night at the Hexagon Lounge at RCBC. Good stuff!
Ramon De Veyra blogs at http://www.thesecuriousdays.com