Reykjavík Grapevine - 12.12.2016, Síða 28

The R
eykjavík G
rapevine
Iceland A
irw
aves Special 20
16
28
Jodie Landau is a young com-
poser and performer who’s
been getting around in 2016.
We caught up with him on a
weekend layover as he travelled
back to his native LA follow-
ing a ten-day European swing
as part of the Whale Watching
Tour—an ambitious ensemble
concert series featuring the
stars of Iceland’s most respect-
ed record label, Bedroom Com-
munity.
“It went by so quickly!” Jodie
exclaims, sipping tea and sink-
ing into a chair on a rainy after-
noon. “But then, even though
we started out just a week ago, it
feels like four months...”
The Whale Watching Tour
is an ongoing live project that’s
toured widely, including dates
in the US, the UK and Europe.
The shows are quite a special
presentation: Nico Muhly em-
cees from behind the piano,
introducing each piece; the
players step into and out of the
limelight to sing, solo, play ac-
companying parts and impro-
vise over the other composers’
works in impressively fluid and
natural collaboration.
Different voices
For Jodie, collaboration comes
naturally. “In LA, I’m in a col-
lective called Wild Up, and we’re
constantly playing other com-
posers’ pieces,” he explains.
“But even within my own music,
I like different voices. When I
started my album, I didn’t have
a concept of what the album
was going to be about—it was
just: ‘I’m going to write pieces,
and I’m going to get these oth-
er composers to write pieces.’
I wanted those other voices to
be represented, and for them to
give me something that is ‘of
my voice,’ but not coming from
me.”
This approach is mirrored
in the Whale Watching Tour.
“We fill in each other’s holes a
little bit,” says Jodie. “It felt very
much like that on the tour—
hopping between Nico’s music,
and Daníel Bjarnason’s music,
and Valgeir Sigurðsson’s music.
We all have thematic and vo-
cabulary similarities, but at the
same time are worlds apart. It’s
musically very satisfying.”
In the greenhouse
Bedroom Community is based
around the Greenhouse Studio in
Breiðholt, where the musicians
write, record, collaborate, and
sometimes even live. “The at-
mosphere of Greenhouse is the
biggest thing in coming here and
recording in Iceland,” enthuses
Jodie. “It’s a home, too, so you’re
not entering a space with this
‘official’ energy. You arrive, leave
your shoes at the door, and get
offered a cup of tea. In LA, I make
most of my music at home, so
to have that feeling here is very
comforting. It feels like things
can happen easily there.”
Jodie will return to Iceland
for Airwaves, when the Whale
Watching Tour will be brought
to Harpa for a special show with
the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.
“I keep coming back,” he smiles,
“whether it’s en route to Europe,
or for Airwaves, or to do some re-
cording. It’s nice to have a place
that suddenly feels like home. It’s
very natural and organic. I’m in
great company, and for the new
and young one in the group, I feel
incredibly welcomed.”
See the Whale Watching Tour at
Harpa’s Eldborg Hall on November
3rd (extra ticket required).
Words John Rogers
Photo Art Bicnick

Bedroom Community
Turns Ten
Introducing the label’s
newest addition, Jodie Landau
Pillars
Of The
Community
Five essential
LPs from
the Whale
Watching crew
Nico Muhly - Mothertongue
An instant classic upon its re-
lease, boldly clashing together
ideas of what song and com-
position can be, and how they
can intertwine. Each of its three
equally astounding parts were
made with a key collaborator; the
finale, made with Sam Amidon, is
heart-rending.
Ben Frost - A U R O R A
I once overheard Ben Frost being
asked: “What kind of music do you
make?” After a loaded ten-sec-
ond pause, he answered, simply:
“Loud.” ‘A U R O R A’ is the finest
synthesis of his mission to date:
a collection of super-powered
tracks that threaten to break out
of the speakers at any time.
Sam Amidon - All Is Well
At the other end of the volume
spectrum sits Sam Amidon, an ec-
centric performer who grew up
playing traditional (often Appala-
chian) folk songs. The liner note:
“All songs are traditional, public
domain” is deceptively simple.
Sam “recomposes” each songs
until they both respect and tran-
scend their roots.
Daníel Bjarnason - Processions
Daníel is a straight-up composer
for orchestra. But, somewhat pre-
dictably, his work is anything but
simple. ‘Processions’ is an album
that ducks and weaves restlessly,
creating a sense of deep unease,
whether through intense, spiral-
ling compositions that feel like
they’re about to tumble from the
rails dramatically, or via plucked
and bowed string arrangements
that refuse to let the listener off
the hook.
Valgeir Sigurðsson
- Architecture of Loss
Valgeir founded Bedroom Com-
munity with Nico Muhly, and he’s
the producer who defines the
sound of the label. His solo works
are few and far between, but of-
fer an insight into the cross-dis-
ciplinary aesthetic that colours
BedCom’s output. ‘Architecture
of Loss’ is the most recent: a rich
electro-acoustic offering re-
leased in 2012.