I Was A King
Old friends
Sounds Familyre

On their self-titled debut, I Was a King carved out a niche filled with lackadaisical charms and easily repeatable, difficult to dislike slacker melodies. A year later, the Norwegian band is back with their aptly named sophomore album "Old friends". Crafting more of the same honey-soaked tunes that play like the embodiment of your favorite, worn-out sweatshirt, the band continues their reign of simplistic pleasantries.

Their previous effort boasted a guest spot from Sufjan Stevens (relegated to piano -- but hey, you can't argue with that kind of indie star power); this time Stevens cohort Daniel Smith (Danielson Family) steps in as the guest du jour. The paring makes sense -- both bands are only a few steps away from each other on the quirky scale (with Danielson Family taking the prize each and every time), but while Smith's everything-but-the-kitchen-sink mentality translates to an utterly pleasing loose ride, and his recording digs contribute to an undeniably warm and immediate sound, the tunes themselves plateau at merely enjoyable.

With the longest track clocking in at three-and-a-half minutes (and the shortest -- "Kontrari" -- demanding a scant fifteen seconds of your time), it's nice to know that some bands still know better than to overstay their welcome. But while brevity is the soul of wit, achieving it shouldn't come at the cost of stunting idea development -- an unfortunate issue that dots many of the otherwise most enjoyable tracks. "Forgive and forget", in all its classic pop glory could have benefited from an extra verse or two, and the pulled back freak-out of "Unreal" is so adroitly crafted, it would have merited grandstanding. However, the stars do briefly align on "Snow song", a lightening-bolt of a piano ballad that blossoms into to an angular shower of electric guitars. With moments as impressive as this, is it greedy to ask for a bit more?
- Laura Studarus