Atlantica - 01.07.2004, Side 74

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72 A T L A N T I C A ROCK
Japanese Policeman is Ragnar Hansson’s fourth music video;
although it was the second one he started work on – nearly one year
ago. All of Ragnar’s video work shows an ingenious ability to make a
low budget stretch farther than most. “The way that things are in
Iceland,” explains Ragnar, “there is no budget for video work, so I
don’t take on projects without caring about it.” According to Ragnar,
this lack of budget gives him freedom in his work, and allows him to
develop his method during this time that he describes as his “training
period”. In Japanese Policeman, imagery of wires, swords, and
cotton swabs show up often, the last of these images literally soften-
ing the cartoon-like violence of the video. “The work that I did before
this was animation. In this case, I was making a video that used live
action, but it was made as if it was animation.” The effect makes the
video visually stunning – Sesame Street in a rock video. Now that this
project has been finished, Ragnar says, “I feel like I’m starting a new
life.” The video has been nine months in the making, due to other
commitments including making videos for Icelandic music groups like
Maus and Páll Óskar. He hopes to continue working on music videos
in the future, hopefully with a larger budget. Once this video gets
some airplay, there is no doubt in anyone’s mind that the offers will
come. IAM
Full of echo and reverb, Singapore Sling’s second album has moved
these deadpan Icelandic sleaze-rockers to new heights. Titled “Life
is killing my rock and roll,” life seems to be doing no such thing to
the Slingers. The album is a tight, sharp ensemble of choreo-
graphed noise, from sure-fire hits such as the bone-chilling
“Guiding Light” and bruising “Stick” to more eccentric tunes that
seem to mix fifties surf with a load of Sonic Youth, Standells and
Jesus and Mary Chain. Led by singer/songwriter/guitarist Henrik
Bjornsson, Singapore Sling lay down a three-guitar sonic assault
that channels a wall of sound through dense, throbbing sound-
scapes that extend psychedelia halfway to psychosis. Although the
band’s retro influences can be easily picked out, their sound is def-
initely their own: adrenaline-inducing and somehow achingly
haunting at the same time. AMB
Life is Killing My Rock and Roll is released in Iceland in July and on
NY label Stinky Records in September. www.stinkyrecords.com
The music videos of 26-year old director Ragnar Hansson have been getting a lot of attention in Iceland and abroad. His latest video
was created for the song “Japanese Policeman” by post-rock band Kimono.In the video, puppets battle each other with swords in
an imaginary world that blends the aesthetics of Japanese animation with downtown Reykjavik.
ROCK MEETS SESAME STREET
SONIC EXPLORATIONS
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