On the phone from Sundlaugin, just outside Iceland’s capital, Reykjavik, the studio’s engineer, Birgir Jón Birgisson, chirpily announces that the local weather is in fact “very good” with blue skies and bright sunshine. Whereas people from Perpignan might, perhaps, find hanging out on the beach the most attractive option once essential work has been done, the Icelandic climate forces people to stay indoors for most of the year and to play cards, stare at a screen (the 21C equivalent), or do something creative. There’s been ample speculation about the reasons for Iceland’s musical riches, but few rise above the pub-talk notion of it having something to do with the climate. Compare this to the amount of internationally famous artists coming out of Perpignan, and, err, you get the picture. Given the tiny size of its population, the impact Iceland has on the international music scene is stupendous, with acts like Björk, Sigur Rós, Of Monsters and Men, Emilíana Torrini, and Mezzorforte all enjoying overseas success and recognition. ENGINEERS AND LONG-STANDING BAND COLLABORATORS BIRGIR JON BIRGISSON AND ALEX SOMERS HAVE THE INSIDE STORY…Īlthough Iceland is Europe’s 2 nd largest island, about half the size of Great Britain, just 321.000 people live there, marginally more than in, say, Perpignan in the south of France. SIGUR ROS’s SEVENTH STUDIO ALBUM, KVEIKUR, IS UNCONVENTIONAL, EVEN BY THE BAND’s STANDARDS.
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