Reykjavík Grapevine - Oct 2021, Page 24

Eleqant By Quest
Think Phil Collins, minus the baldness
Words: Valur Grettisson/Quest Photos: Provided by Quest
Info
To listen to Quest is a quest in
itself. Their first album, “Eleqant”
is humorous, allowing the band to
be tacky at times, while something
undeniably cool permeates their
surroundings; some hipster vibe you
can only find with someone that has
achieved a zen-state of existence.
Naturally, this involves a mullet
and an ironic moustache, coupled
with inventively playing with the
standard pop format. We are hooked
and we wanted to know more, so
we asked Quest to take us through
“Eleqant” track by track. Here’s what
Reykjavík’s newest band has to say
for themselves.
Stoneheart
We wanted to start the album
with a sensual bang! Stoneheart
is a power ballad about the force
that is love. It starts with a reoc-
curring synth pad, orchestral gui-
tar melody and some tight drums,
slowly building to an epic outro. In
the middle of all this you will find
a soothing saxophone solo to ease
you on your journey. “Don't let your
heart turn into stone!”
Fanturinn
Fanturinn (e.“The Brute”), we all
know one, he is everywhere, he is in
our worst enemies but also within
us all. When he gets rewarded for
selfish behaviour he embodies
it to impress those around him,
while neglecting compassion and
respect. This was our first single,
the first mix we got from !ór"ur
Gunnar, who then mixed the whole
shebang! The song is a shoulder-
padded leather jacket, one size fits
all.
Father Time
It’s another cold, dark winter
morning for the hooligan but the
anticipation gets him up. Factory,
punch the clock, fight time, finish
work, go to the pub, finish a beer,
fight other hooligans, match on,
times up. Again tomorrow. Silly,
we know, but the song is quite sim-
ple. Synths, drums, guitar, some
freezing harmonies and a very odd,
clunky piano in the end. You might
even start to sing along.
P.S. Can you hear the Eurovision
reference?
Stundarfri!ur
This song has a special place in our
hearts. It features Ingólfur Bjarni,
a founding member of the band,
and was written during a beauti-
ful part of our band's life. The song
is an upbeat pop song inspired
by an early 80s theatre play about
how technology is distancing us.
A nostalgic perspective on modern
problems.
Place in Heaven
Think Phil Collins meets Dr.
Phil and they write a traditional
gender-role focused love song. A
haunting and pulsating guitar sets
the theme of the song, like a broken
heart. Layered by airy synths, pow-
erful drums and dreamy lyrics. The
song unfortunately has expired so
we are no longer responsible for it.
You can have it.
Sí!asta lagi!
Sí"asta lagi" (e. “The Last Song”).
We take a lot of pride in our live
shows and this song might be the
most fun to perform. It has a one-
take moog solo, congas, perks,
groovy bass and smooth, punchy
vocals served together in quality
repetitions that continually build
up for five epic minutes. The lyr-
ics are about you, dear reader. We
hope you decorate your life with
yourself.
Lessons
Just when you thought Sí"asta
Lagi" was the end, we surprise you
with life’s lessons; we can either
learn them the hard way or dance
them away. We only provide you
with the options, not the answers.
We are very happy that you have
made your way through our album.
We can only hope that you enjoyed
and might consider subscribing
and liking and biking and hiking,
showering and eating healthy and
laughing and dancing and adding
us to your email list.
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!ingholtsstræti 5 • 101 Reykjavík
Tel. 568 6600 • sushisocial.is
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24The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10— 2021
Enough about the music, can we talk about these shirts?
Track By Track