Reykjavík Grapevine - 14.07.2017, Qupperneq 37

HAM - ‘Söngvar um
helvíti mannana’
Visions from another world can be dangerous
Words: Hannah Cohen Photo: Marinó Thorlacius
Icelandic rock mega-
liths HAM recently
dropped their newest
album, ‘Söngvar um helvíti man-
nanna’, or “Songs about the Hell of
Man.” We sat down with the group to
hear more about their hellish world..
1. Eldur (“Fire”)
HAM: This is one of many songs on
the album which deals with visi-
tors, in this case, a happy and wel-
come visitor—one who is missed
after he leaves. A welcome visitor
is not always the case in our songs,
usually they are unwelcome.
In “Eldur,” this visitor has access
to the box of eternal fire, which
gives them a vision into eternal
hell. Eternal fire is our inevitable
future. In the end, everything will
burn.
2. Þú lýgur (“You Lie”)
HAM: Betrayal is a strong theme
here—the betrayal of old friends.
Here, an old friend is attempting to
pretend that everything is hunky-
dory but really, that this is not so.
The lies will not be forgotten and
there will be no second chances. He
is not fooled by any smirky smile.
3. Sýnir sá (“Visions”)
HAM: “Sýnir sá” is a double en-
tendre that can mean “Visions”
or “The One Who Shows.” This is
a precautionary tale about sight,
seeing a future that is not pretty.
Visions from another world can
be sexy, but they can be dangerous
and open doors that should not be
opened.
4. Skuggi (“Shadow”)
HAM: “Skuggi" is about someone
who wants to be left alone sit-
ting in the shadow on his porch.
Although there is loneliness and
yearning, the song also celebrates
the warmth that lies in the shadow
and in the closeness of the dark.
5. Gamli maðurinn og asninn
(“The Old Man and the Donkey”)
HAM: This is very different from
the others, the odd song out. This
is a tale but we are still talking
about something hellish. There is
danger lurking, some discomfort.
It could all happen in hell.
6. Vestur Berlín (“West Berlin”)
HAM: This was the first single re-
leased from the album. It is new
wave-ish with a goth atmosphere,
celebrating the declining murky
world between other places and
West Berlin, as well as our own
time there as young musicians.
7. Þú fórst hvurt
(“Where Did You Go”)
HAM: Here, we harken back to
disco and the wonderful world of
the Weimar Republic. It has a dif-
ferent feel but still mysterious and
titillating.
8. Morðingjar (“Murderers”)
HAM: In “Morðingjar,” a man is
singing from death as he is being
murdered. Musically, it is pretty
unusual for HAM—a slow goth
new wave ballad. This song had a
very long gestation. We have been
working on it for many years.
9. Ég senn dey (“I Will Soon Die”)
HAM: Old friends, fear, visitors
coming—the usual themes of the
album, but here there is a twist.
In this case, the friends have been
apart for half a century. One is in
danger, living far away, with un-
known enemies.
10. Brekka (“Hill”)
HAM: If you would say “Gamli
maðurinn og asninn," is the odd
one out, then this song is even
odder. The lyrics are about mod-
ern things—cars, transportation.
It’s a basic story about a trucker
who loses his brakes on a moun-
tain road. It’s a good song to end
with. There is absolutely nothing
mysterious here. Totally unmyste-
rious, absolutely basic.
37The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 12 — 2017
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