Gudskelov for Island

Første, her er spillelisten fra programmet i aftes:

1. Baby Cool – Oliver North Boy Choir (DK)
2. Too Little Too Late – Metric
3. AM 180 – Grandaddy
4. The Comeback – Shout Out Louds (SV)
5. Hey Messy Queen – Death Valley Sleepers (DK)
6. Moon Pulls – Múm (IS)
7. Tindrer – Under Byen (DK)
8. Hands Remember – Seabear (IS)
9. Alive and Well – Shooting Spires
10. Down the Line – José González (SV)
11. My Man – the Sad Lovers (DK)
12. Disappearing Act – the Bear Quartet (SV)
13. Subtle Changes – Sambassadeur (SV)

And now I must talk about that post header: thank god for Iceland, indeed.

Here’s the story. A couple weeks ago, I discovered Seabear. (Discovered is not the right word, because the band existed before, and I had even heard of them before -- I’d just never paid much attention until picking up the CD, looking at the composer’s name, and realizing they came from Iceland. But anyway.) I was, to put it most honestly, enchanted.

About a day later, my computer screen died, I put Electrelane’s No Shouts No Calls on my record player, and listened to essentially nothing else for the next two weeks. In other words, I forgot about Seabear. Until the day before yesterday. I was planning my show, and remembered I had this new album by a band from Iceland. I revisited the album -- Seabear’s official debut, The Ghost that Carried Us Away -- and was soon re-enchanted.

I don’t know what it is about Iceland. Granted, I haven’t heard a vast number of Icelandic musicians, but of those I’ve heard, every one has had that little something. I can’t quite describe it -- sort of an ethereal quality, a secret sound just under the surface… Each band is unique and distinct, but at the same time, there’s this similarity -- they’re all connected. And it’s so beautiful. It is my personal belief that Iceland secretly exists on a plane apart from the rest of the world, in a place where things like wormholes, fantastical beings, and (best of all) eternal childhood really do exist.

As for Seabear -- if songbirds learned how to play toy pianos and were asked to play the soundtrack for the last chapter of Martin Page’s excellent book ‘How I Became Stupid,’ this is what it would sound like. I realize this isn’t a very good description, but I really can’t think of anything better. It’s orchestral -- but without orchestra instruments? I don’t know. But Sindri, the frontman, admits on the band’s myspace that he doesn’t know what kind of music the band plays, either, so I guess it’s okay. And by okay, I really mean almost perfect.

Unfortunately, you cannot download any songs from the newer album; however, you can stream several at the Morr Music (label) website. Seabear’s cover of Teenage Kicks, which was released on 7”, is there also. And finally -- what you can download: Seabear’s entire first album, or rather the Singing Arc EP. It’s from 2004, it’s Sindri solo (without the other six members of the band, who were added later), and it’s admittedly not quite as good as The Ghost that Carried Us Away. However, that’s a lot to match up to, and if I had heard the EP first, I would probably be raving – the songs are still very good.

It’s hard to pick a favorite of these eight (and absolutely impossible to do so for the full album) so, instead, here are two nice ones. Drunk Song is a bit more energetic, with vocals vaguely reminiscent of (I think?) Jens Lekman, while We Like Winterclothes is sad and quiet -- but also, in my opinion at least, comes closest to the sound you’ll hear on the full album. The remaining tracks are available through the sound page of Seabear’s website, and I’d advise listening to them all.

--DL--
Ashtrays Podcast (16. april 2008)
Drunk Song (Seabear)
We Like Winterclothes (Seabear)