I Was a King

Style: Chaotic power-pop; compare to The Beatles, Pavement, R.E.M., Sufjan Stevens

Old Friends

I Was a King, I Was a King, John Ringhofer, Joshua Stamper, Kevin Shea, Michael Cemprola, Ted Velykis, Emil Nikolaisen, Frode Str mstad, Anne Lise Fr kedal, Daniel C. Smith

Zach Top

January 25, 2011

Top tracks: “Forgive and Forget,” “Echoes,” “Old Friends”

The story of Old Friends is really a story of new friends: For their latest record, the Norwegian band I Was a King united with Daniel Smith’s Sounds Familyre label, where they share space on the roster with Sufjan Stevens, Danielson, and Woven Hand. It’s a perfect fit, as King brings to their music the same oddball perspective and musical mayhem. This record is a gem for those who like their power pop with a sense of anarchy; the group writes sublime melodies but masks them under layers of giddy, live-in-the-studio chaos. It’s noisy, but full of heart: The title track is a country-tinged paean to enduring friendship, a theme that plays out across the record with a spirit of cheerful gratitude.