Reykjavík Grapevine - Jan 2023, Page 15

15The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 1— 2023
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Theremin virtuoso Hekla’s album
‘Xiuxiuejar’ was released in Septem-
ber 2022 has just been named Album
of the Year in the 2023 Grapevine
Music Awards. Why? Well, it’s bril-
liant. You might think that the mix
of theremin, vocals and cello would
be a weird combo… and you’d be
right. But it’s a weirdness we really
dig. Paired with Hekla’s sensitivity
and accomplished arrangements, it
makes for a darkly enjoyable listen.
You can read what our judging panel
had to say about why they loved
‘Xiuxiuejar’ so much on page 8, but
we were curious to know Hekla’s
own take on the album. Here, she
guides us through the release, track
by track.
The Whole
I always knew the album was going
to be more conceptual — kind of
more of a journey, going some-
where. So it’s a bit of a cycle. The
starting song is like a siren song,
inviting you. You think it’s going to
be something that it kind of isn’t;
you’re heading towards this hole in
the end and throughout you’re expe-
riencing different places, different
textures.
Silfurofinn
The title of the track means woven
in silver. With most of this songs
— “Silfurofinn” especially — I was
conscious of something being warm
and cold at the same time. I used
a mix of phone recordings for the
vocals and then the instrumental
parts were done in a studio. I kind
of like the contrast of doing some-
thing really lo-fi and then also going
to a proper studio. It’s an interesting
texture.
Enn og Aftur
This is all theremin feedback. It’s
distorted theremin to the point
where you don’t really hear it’s a
theremin anymore. I love the clas-
sic theremin sound but I also really
love to take it to a new realm.
Sólin Gekk
This one is warmer than the others.
It doesn’t really have a proper struc-
ture, like most of the songs. I had
my friends Sindri Freyr and Arnljó-
tur play the flutes at the end. The
high pitched flutes sound so good
with the theremin, they just blend
so well.
Akkeri
I had this old theremin loop that I
wanted to use. I pitched down my
cello a lot — physically tuned the
instrument down — and recorded
that and then put the theremin loop
on top.
Í Kyrrð
On this one I’m singing — yeah,
there’s singing on the album! Even
though there aren’t that many lyrics
or anything, I think it’s still a really
personal album, because it’s really
me.
I like how words sound. This
song is about not being able to sleep
— but I kind of like how the words
sound more than I like the meaning
of them. How the vowels fit in with
whatever's happening in the music.
Tangarhald
This sounds more like older songs
I used to do. It’s a more traditional
theremin sound: kind of ancient and
futuristic at the same time.
Hrakföll
I really love the poetry that my
friends Birta Ósmann Þórhallsdót-
tir and Ástríður Tómasdóttir wrote.
It means a lot to me that I had their
permission to use it. I often get
inspired by other art forms. I always
have some visuals running while
I’m playing ‘cos I really like to make
loops for a long time.
Ris og Rof
This song I used in a soundtrack
that I did. For concerts I usually do
different versions of my songs, or
mashups. So this one has just trans-
formed into a completely different
song. I added the cello and I played
the same notes but just in different
places of the strings. You just get
such a different sound depending
on where you place your bow.
The Hole
At this point the hole is not as nice
and you’re just kind of stuck down
there! Throughout all the songs you
can feel like there’s something going
on; there are alarm bells ringing
sometimes. You know it’s not going
to be such a nice place in the end.
It’s kind of like a hole you create
yourself: you kept digging and now
you’re there!
‘Xiuxiuejar’
by Hekla
Words: Josie Anne Gaitens Photo: Magnus Andersen
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