Iceland review - 2004, Page 12

10 ICELAND REVIEW
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The music videos of 26-year old director Ragnar Hansson have
been getting a lot of attention in Iceland and abroad. Iceland
Review spoke to him at the premiere of his latest video for
the song “Japanese Policeman” by Kimono.
The video, which was created for the first single from Kimono’s debut album
mineur-aggressif, was premiered on Friday the 28th of May. In attendance were
the cast of the video, the band, plus visiting international directors and film-
makers who have been working recently in Reykjavík. In the video, puppets
battle each other with swords in an imaginary world that blends the aesthetics
of Japanese animation with downtown Reykjavik.
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 budg-
et 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 softening 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.
SOUNDS:
ALEX MACNEIL WITH THE
LATEST MUSIC NEWS
SIGUR RÓS are starting work on their new
album in the next couple of weeks. According
to sources in the band, this time the album
might have a title. They plan to work again with
producer KEN THOMAS, who produced their
last album and also MÍNUS’ last release. Their
studio, which they call the “swimming pool,”
was visited by the PIXIES when they played
Kaplakriki in May. The Pixies were impressed
with the studio, which they visited after having
spent an inordinate amount of time and money
in Álafoss in Mosfellsbær buying Icelandic wool
and talking to the hidden people.
SLOWBLOW, who are legendary among Iceland
bedroom recording artists, have released the
soundtrack to DAGUR KÁRI’S excellent West
Fjords drama, NÓI ALBINÓI, and will be releas-
ing their long-awaited new full-length album
with 12 Tónar in June.
I ADAPT, one of the tightest live acts in
Reykjavík, have entered the TÍMI studio in K & B
to record fifteen tracks, some of which will be
included on their new album. Word has it that
a BUBBI MORTHENS cover has been cut, which
might be the first time Bubbi has sounded punk
since 1983. I Adapt is heading for Eastern
Europe this summer where their album will be
released by a network of smaller labels. The
album will be released by Tími in Iceland.
Also touring around Europe, albeit the
Mediterranean part, BANG GANG will be play-
ing the MONTREAUX JAZZ FESTIVAL in
Switzerland and the AREZZO WAVE FESTIVAL in
Italy, not to mention about twenty dates
around France during July.
Full of echo and reverb, the new SINGAPORE
SLING album, LIFE IS KILLING MY ROCK AND
ROLL will be self-released in Iceland in mid-June
and distributed by the oft-mentioned 12 Tónar.
The record will also come out in North America
on NY label STINKY RECORDS in the autumn.
The office copy has been on constant repeat for
days. Other releases for the fall include
ENSÍMI’S new album and a greatest hits compi-
lation from MAUS.
IR In_reykjavik 11.6.2004 10:31 Page 10