Reykjavík Grapevine - des. 2020, Blaðsíða 12

Reykjavík Grapevine - des. 2020, Blaðsíða 12
María, Kjartan, Georg & Orri manning the stone harp The original text—which forms the basis of the lyrics to Steindór’s hypnotic chanting— tells the story of the end of the world. The im- ager y of the poem, which scholars sus- pect to be miss- ing its begin- ning and end, paints a story of decline, in which the world is freezing over from north to south. And while the world freez- es, the gods feast, oblivious to their own doom. “It was an apocalyptic warn- ing,” says Hilmar. “Perhaps the people of the time felt it in their skins. Today, of course, Iceland is involved in environmental is- sues surrounding hydro-electric power and the destruction of the Highlands. We are being warned again.” A hibernating beast ‘Odin’s Raven Magic’ is much big- ger than just a Sigur Rós album. It’s a truly collaborative effort. Steindór is a commanding vocal presence, almost relegating Jónsi to the sidelines as he leads the listener through the eight stan- zas of this ancient text, while the steinharpa and the orchestra are so dominant as to almost make the band itself seem like backing musicians. “As an outsider, it was an in- teresting project to take part in because of the complexity of it,” María says. “As well as the band and all their instrumentation, there is a sculptor that never per- forms on stage, then the chanter in a musical setting that he is not used to, and glueing it all together is an orchestra and a choir. So part of the reason it went into hi- bernation was because it was just such a beast. Ev- eryone had to step out of their com- fort zone.” “The beauty of this is that all the people involved don’t recognise it as their own work. It’s so collaborative that it’s become an independent thing,” she continues. “The poem is just timeless and it’s more rel- evant than ever before, because it explores the end of the world. It’s been very interesting to actu- ally look deeper into the poem— I didn’t have the time to actually look deeper into the poem at the time because it was just mayhem trying to cram it all together.” The elephant in the room While the new release is a long- awaited and welcome addition to the band’s discography, it’s a relic of an earlier Sigur Rós, and in some ways, the elephant is still in the room. They have only met online to make decisions about things like cover art and t- shirts. “It’s not l ike we came together like a football team and decided to release it,” Kjartan laughs. And, as we speak, there’s no fixed plans for the band’s future—no upcom- ing releases, no new projects, and no calendar. But then, perhaps there never has been. “When you look at some- one’s career, you might start to think about how something was thought through and you might think it’s all calculated,” María says. “But I don’t think things are calculated. You just react to what’s happening. I’m in a band that has changed members so dramatically over the years that nobody knows what it ‘means’. It’s more like an umbrella or a musi- cal force that just... continues.” “No one’s counting members,” Georg says. “People come and go. It’s free-form. Through the years we have approached each record as a separate project, and they’ve always been done differently— not necessarily by sitting down and discussing what we are go- ing to do. Things change and you create in a different way. People change as well. Times change. Your own attitude to life chang- es.” Weathering the storms Sigur Rós were founded in 1994, which, for this writer, means they have been active for an entire lifetime. In that time, Icelandic society has un- dergone massive tectonic shifts. The band has seen almost three of the country’s six presidents come and go, survived the rise and fall of entire industries and lived through the country’s transformation from a backwater in the North At- lantic to a global tourism hub and back again. Culture Get Grapevine Merch! Don't Hesitate! Act Now! shop.gra pevine.is “Every generation has this feeling of Iceland chang- ing so fast, but at the same time, the core doesn’t change.” “It was an apocalyptic warning. Perhaps the people of the time felt it in their skins.” 12The Reykjavík GrapevineIssue 10— 2020

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