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.
Scars on Land
Kings of Convenience Lyrics
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And breathe life in
And move like knives
Through scars on land
Still untouched
No stain of hands
Caramelized
No chain stays unbroken
All aims get forgotten
The weight of lead
On floors of sand
The idea reduced again
To outcome
No chain stays unbroken
All aims get forgotten
The opening lines of Kings of Convenience's "Scars on Land" suggest that the duo has a remarkable ability to bring life back to things that have been abandoned or left for dead. Despite the gravity of the task, they accomplish this through movements akin to slicing with knives through scars on land. This phrase evokes imagery of a duo with great precision, determination and resilience as they strive to revive and revive what has been left desolate.
In the next stanza, they continue keeping with the theme of reinvigoration. Here they use the metaphor of unbroken chains which implies that everything in life is connected, and when something is broken, it creates difficulty in getting things done. The lyrics go on to talk about how all aims are forgotten - this could refer to goals that have been left incomplete, projects that have been abandoned, or even people who were once significant in the lives of the composers.
Overall, "Scars on Land" invites the listener to reflect on the inevitability of change, loss and resilience. It encourages people to embrace challenges, and rebuild with patience and perseverance, even when all seems lost.
Line by Line Meaning
We take what's dead
We revive things that have died
And breathe life in
We infuse vitality into something
And move like knives
We cut through difficulties with precision
Through scars on land
We overcome challenges on the way
Still untouched
Unaffected by negative forces
No stain of hands
No indication of human interference
Caramelized
Transformed into something sweet and desirable
In a tilted light
Viewed from a different perspective
No chain stays unbroken
Nothing remains constant forever
All aims get forgotten
Goals are often abandoned or ignored
The weight of lead
A heavy burden to bear
On floors of sand
On an unstable foundation
The idea reduced again
The original notion simplified
To outcome
To achieve the end result
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: EIRIK GLAMBEK BOE, ERLEND OTRE OEYE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind