For the past six years, Erlend Øye’s musical talents have moved him seamlessly through folk (with Kings of Convenience), electro-pop (as a solo artist) and, now, minimalist rock. With bright red hair and hipster glasses, Øye’s whispery-crooner vocals tie together the three very distinct projects. His latest group, Whitest Boy Alive, juxtaposes a playful band name with conservative instrumentation based in traditional rock music. The record’s title accurately defines it as a whole: One syllable, concise and efficient, Dreams reveals 10 uniform songs tied together by dry drum kits, soft vocals and Power, Corruption and Lies-era New Order guitars.

“”Burning,”” the album’s first and most infectious track, begins with a tight drum pattern complemented by a fluid guitar riff conjuring Bernard Sumner on “”Age of Consent.”” “”So many people telling me one way/ Caught in a motion and I don’t want to stop,”” Øye whispers, prophetically predicting a motion that he dutifully maintains for the entire album. Tracks like “”Golden Cage”” and “”Fireworks”” speak of lost love and isolation, while “”Don’t Give Up”” barely speaks at all, repeating the song’s title over Fender Rhodes chords and soft guitars.

What this all means is that Øye is too focused. Each project he undertakes concentrates loyally on a single texture or theme that is refined throughout the recording, and this album provides a musical scope too narrow to keep a listener focused for 10 tracks. Maybe this is just what he wants: Coming from Norway, Øye’s music mirrors the sparse and beautiful darker months of his country. What Dreams never gets to are the bright Nordic summers, the changing seasons or anything to awaken the listener from a safe and predictable winter slumber.