Riot on an Empty Street

The Kings of Convenience — a Simon & Garfunkel-aping duo from Norway — earn their crown with their third and strongest album yet, drawing the right lessons from forebears who also include Nick Drake and Burt Bacharach. Aside from the misstep ”I’d Rather Dance With You” (these are the wrong dudes to sing about dancing), Riot on an Empty Street tales of lost loves and existential confusion shimmer with precise harmonies, memorably melancholy melodies, and rich but restrained arrangements. It’s enough to send Gough back to the drawing board.