After first earning notice thanks to a series of acclaimed European festival appearances during the summer of 1999, the twosome signed to American label Kindercore to issue their lovely eponymous debut the following spring. Quiet Is the New Loud was issued in early 2001 on Astralwerks. The album used many of the same tracks from the Kindercore release but re-ordered them and replaced a few with newer songs. The remix album Versus followed later in the year and featured remixes by artists as diverse as Ladytron, avid Whitaker and Four Tet. After a three year layoff during which Øye recorded a solo album, 2003's Unrest, and gained some reknown as an electronica DJ while Bøe worked on finishing up his psychology degree, the pair teamed up again for the recording and release of 2004's Riot on an Empty Street.
After a 5 year layoff, the band released Declaration Of Dependence on October 20, 2009 on Astralwerks in the US and Virgin Records in the UK.
Erlend Øye has released some solo material and is also a member of The Whitest Boy Alive.
Eirik Glambek Bøe is also a member of a second band, Kommode. The Whitest Boy Alive and Kommode toured together this year for a short period.
Parallel
Kings of Convenience Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That envelopes two,
That one perceives as hunger
And the other as food.
I wake in tangeled covers,
To a sash of snow,
You dream in a cartoon garden,
I could never know.
Your image a compensation for me to hold.
Parallel lines, move so fast,
Toward the same point,
Infinity is as near as it is far
Kings of Convenience's song "Parallel Lines" explores the idea of two people in a relationship perceiving things differently. The opening lines, "What's the immaterial substance that envelopes two, that one perceives as hunger, and the other as food," suggest that although two people may be close together, they may have completely different perceptions and interpretations of their relationship. One person may see it as fulfilling and satisfying, while the other may see it as lacking.
The second stanza further emphasizes these differences, as the singer wakes up to "a sash of snow" while their partner "dreams in a cartoon garden." The singer recognizes their inability to truly know their partner and their inner world, stating "I could never know." The final line of the stanza ("Innocent imitation, you are cast in gold, your image a compensation for me to hold") seems to suggest that the singer sees their partner as an idealized version of themselves, to compensate for their own insecurities and shortcomings.
The chorus, "Parallel lines, move so fast, toward the same point, infinity is as near as it is far," introduces the metaphor of parallel lines. Just as parallel lines move toward the same point without ever touching, the singer and their partner seem to be moving toward a common goal without truly understanding each other. The idea of infinity being both near and far suggests the paradoxical nature of relationships, where two people can be intimately connected yet still feel distant.
Line by Line Meaning
What's the immaterial substance
What intangible thing
That envelopes two,
surrounds two people
That one perceives as hunger
which one sees as a need
And the other as food.
while the other views as sustenance.
I wake in tangled covers,
I rise amidst the messy sheets
To a sash of snow,
with a view of snow outside
You dream in a cartoon garden,
You sleep with a dream of a playful world
I could never know.
which I can never fully comprehend
Innocent imitation, you are cast in gold,
Your pure replication is seen as valuable to me.
Your image a compensation for me to hold.
Your likeness makes up for your physical absence which I can cherish.
Parallel lines, move so fast,
Lines that run beside each other, so quick and agile,
Toward the same point,
To reach the same destination,
Infinity is as near as it is far
Equally close and far away is Infinity
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EIRIK GLAMBEK BOE, ERLEND OTRE OEYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind